There isn't a more exciting kickoff return man in the country than the Panthers' Henderson, and there isn't one we'd rather be in control of with a joystick, either. He's broken four returns for touchdowns over the last two years, including this thriller for 100 yards against Navy in the 2015 Military Bowl.

Put the controller in the hands of an expert, with the right offensive weapons, and touchdowns can rain so hard you need an umbrella. To combat that, you'd better have a safety who can clean up missed tackles and make sure breakaway plays result only in first downs, not touchdowns. For that role, we like Blanding, the Cavaliers' tackling machine who has three years of experience as the last line of defense in Charlottesville. With 198 career solo tackles, he's just 14 short of the ACC record for defensive backs.

If Burns' production on a per-play basis for the Seminoles last year translated to a video game, you'd never want to take him off the field. Consider that In a part-time role as a pass-rushing specialist, the FSU freshman made 24 tackles last season, and about 40 percent of them (9.5) were sacks. He's a little light at 6-foot-5, 218 pounds, but when a joystick is involved, speed usually beats power.

When you need a yard to move the chains, Pettway is your man. He's explosive enough to make big plays, but at 6-foot and 235 pounds, his raw power would play very well in short-yardage situations. Anything but the highest of video-game power ratings for Pettway would be a crime.

If you like a dual-threat guy handling your video-game offense, and your opponent has claimed Louisville and Lamar Jackson first, you could do a lot worse than Flowers. The AAC Offensive Player of the Year is a first-down machine for the Bulls, and from USF's official highlight video of Flowers, it's clear he'd be awfully hard to contain in a video game. Last year, he became the first 2,000-yard passer/1,000-yard rusher in state history (2,807/1,530). What about Tim Tebow, you say? The former Gators star never cracked the 1,000 mark on the ground. Flowers is primed to do it two years in a row.

Our video-game squad needs a big receiver who can dominate in the red zone on fades and 50-50 balls against smaller cornerbacks. For that role, we'll take St. Brown. The Fighting Irish's 6-foot-5, 205-pound junior averaged 16.6 yards per catch last season and made a lot of plays in the open field, so he's more than just a size mismatch, but he knows how to use his size advantage downfield.

Throwing deep can be the best way to get back into a game quickly -- both on the field and for gamers -- although it can be a lot easier for the latter to make the long-ball connection, especially when the right players are handling the task. Richards would be our pick to be the receiving end of a comeback attempt. His speed is elite, and if matched up with a cornerback lacking a top-end speed rating, he could be a video game star on the deep ball alone.

For the tight end who can make the acrobatic play, you'll find few if any better than Gesecki (6-foot-6, 251 pounds). Like coaches, gamers look for personnel matchups they can exploit, and Gesecki is a tough cover for safeties. Temple learned what kind of downfield threat Gesecki can be.

A year ago, John Ross put up video-game-like numbers for the Huskies, and now it's Pettis' turn. No, he doesn't have Ross' 4.22 speed, but he is a nightmare matchup for cornerbacks and now steps into the WR1 role at UW. He also has a returning quarterback who can get him the ball consistently in Jake Browning. NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein likes what he sees in Pettis, as well.

Only in a video game could a punt returner take nearly 25 percent of his attempts to the house, right? Well, no, because the Aggies' Kirk has done that for real. He broke three of 13 punt returns for touchdowns last year, and he can be ridiculously hard to tackle in the open field.

Back in college, Seattle Seahawks RB Eddie Lacy was nicknamed "circle button," after the button that provides video-game rushers with a spin move, because he had a special one. Guice has the best spin move the SEC has seen since Lacy's (although Guice doesn't use his quite as often), and his other moves can be equally devastating.

Quarterback improvisation is often how football video games are won and lost, and nobody does that better than Mayfield. The Sooners star and Heisman Trophy candidate makes big play after big play from outside the pocket, long after the designed routes of his receivers have given way to playground mode.

A rating of 99 is as high as it gets in the gamer world, and Key would merit it in the areas of speed and quickness. The Tigers' star pass rusher is highly disruptive and would be a drive-killer for gamers with his big-play ability. NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah recently posted a thorough breakdown of Key's skills, noting that opposing teams attack him with extra blockers. Gamers would be wise to do the same.

Gamers who have the passing game down so cold they can complete passes at will would love to be in control of a game version of Falk. No returning quarterback in college football matches the crazy numbers he puts up as a fourth-year starter in Mike Leach's wide-open Air Raid offense. His 443 completions, 663 attempts and 4,468 yards last year were all more than any FBS passer returning for 2017, and his 10,888 career yards also leads all active FBS quarterbacks. Falk lines up in the shotgun, has plenty of weapons and frustrates defenses all day with little help from a rushing attack. If you've ever tangled with a master passer on a video game, you know the feeling.

As the fastest player in college football, LSU CB Donte Jackson is a must here. Yes, he's one of the best cornerbacks in college football, but his value in a video game would go beyond his coverage kills. With elite speed, he could track down would-be touchdowns from behind, both on defense and special teams, and he'd be awfully dangerous on interception returns, as well.

If you can't make first downs with Barkley in your video-game backfield, retire your controller. The factors upon which running backs are game-rated -- speed, agility, acceleration, power, elusiveness -- are all in Barkley's trick bag. A properly rated Barkley in a video game would leave a wake of would-be tacklers behind him.

Every good sports video game needs a good cover photo, a high-profile star to be the public-facing attraction on the store shelf. For that, we'll take Jackson, the junior from Louisville who turned college football on its ear last year. Returning Heisman Trophy winners are uncommon, and when they come along, they're the face of more than just a video game. They're the face of the sport.