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Bruce Feldman : Top 10 WR Units
Posted on 8/1/16 at 1:00 pm
Posted on 8/1/16 at 1:00 pm
Bruce Feldman : Top 10 WR Units
1. Clemson
2. ALABAMA
3. Michigan
4. Oregon
5. Penn State
6. TEXAS A&M
7. USC
8. Washington State
9. Oklahoma State
10. OLE MISS
Thoughts?
1. Clemson
2. ALABAMA
quote:
Calvin Ridley did an impressive job of picking up where fellow South Florida stud Amari Cooper left off in Tuscaloosa, grabbing 89 passes as a true freshman for 1,045 yards, breaking Cooper’s school record. He’s very fast -- although Robert Foster is considered the Tide’s fastest receiver -- but Ridley has a terrific burst and the ability to separate, making him such a hard cover. He’s the kind of weapon OC Lane Kiffin loves to exploit. ArDarius Stewart, the team’s No. 2 wideout, is a physical presence at 6-1, 205 and had 31 of his 63 catches go for first downs or TDs last year. The 6-2, 190-pound Foster had 10 catches in three games before suffering a season-ending injury, but he’s back as is 6-5, 210-pound junior Cam Sims, who is back after tearing up his knee. Both are intriguing talents for WR coach Billy Napier to develop.
This group also got a major boost when Bowling Green star Gehrig Dieter, an agile 6-2, 213-pounder grad transfer from the MAC showed up. He caught 94 passes for 1,033 yards and 10 TDs last year. Dieter is strong, has sure hands and plays with a chip on his shoulder. He should be a great addition for whoever is the new Tide QB. The Tide also is loaded at tight end. Just ask Clemson how dangerous 6-6 O.J. Howard is. He was the star of the national title game for Bama. Behind him Hale Hentges is a terrific blocker at the line and keep an eye on young Miller Forristall, a 6-5, 235-pound former QB who runs 4.7 and has lots of promise.
3. Michigan
4. Oregon
5. Penn State
6. TEXAS A&M
quote:
Trevor Knight inherits a very talented group that starts with fantastic sophomore Christian Kirk, who caught 80 passes for over 1,000 yards as a true freshman. Kirk is strong, quick and very mature. Coaches rave about his character and have said he approaches the game like a pro and has from the moment he first showed up. Lanky Josh Reynolds, a fast 6-4 former JC transfer, had 907 receiving yards last season on 51 catches while 6-5, 240-pound Ricky Seals-Jones is another big target. Seals-Jones doesn’t have great separation, but he’s very solid.
Speedy Noil, another former blue-chipper, may be the most talented of the group in terms of his explosiveness and ball skills, but he’s struggled with maturity issues. Damion Ratley, a 6-1 JC transfer, has plenty of ability but needs to be much more consistent. Skinny Ed Pope and Jeremy Tabuyo are a pair of experienced reserves who have had their moments and seem like they’ve been around in College Station since the R.C. Slocum era.
7. USC
8. Washington State
9. Oklahoma State
10. OLE MISS
quote:
The Rebels lost elite WR Laquon Treadwell and productive receiver Cody Core to the NFL, but they still have four proven targets who each caught over 30 passes last season for Chad Kelly to count on in 2016. Evan Engram is a stretch-the-field tight end who's made a bunch of big plays in big games. Quincy Adeboyejo (38 catches for 604 yards and seven TDs) has terrific speed to go with good size but needs more consistency for this team to be Top 5 caliber. Damore’ea Stringfellow can excel at making catches in traffic (a la Treadwell) but also needs to step up and prove it.
Van Jefferson is a redshirt freshman the Rebels are very excited about. He gets in and out of breaks better than anybody Ole Miss has had in awhile, and at 6-2, 190, he’s fast and long and can be difference-maker. DaMarkus Lodge, a 6-2 former blue-chip recruit, should provide a lot of big plays during his career in Oxford. Markell Pack (24 catches) is an effective slot receiver who also figures to get more focus. One other guy to keep an eye on: A.J. Brown, a 6-1, 220-pound top recruit plucked out of MSU’s backyard in Starkville. Coaches say he has ball skills and is physical like Treadwell and is probably a bit faster.
Thoughts?
This post was edited on 8/1/16 at 1:01 pm
Posted on 8/1/16 at 1:01 pm to SummerOfGeorge
I'd take our wideouts over Alabama's any day of the week
Posted on 8/1/16 at 1:02 pm to Piscinin
quote:
Bama > Clemson
I dunno, Clemson had a solid group last year and brings back Mike Williams. They will be terrifying along with Watson.
Posted on 8/1/16 at 1:04 pm to SummerOfGeorge
Watson makes them look better than they are IMO.
Posted on 8/1/16 at 1:05 pm to SummerOfGeorge
quote:
A.J. Brown, a 6-1, 220-pound top recruit plucked out of MSU’s backyard in Starkville. Coaches say he has ball skills and is physical like Treadwell and is probably a bit faster.
Posted on 8/1/16 at 1:06 pm to GnashRebel
Auburn plays 4 of the Top 10. Their secondary better be ready to roll.
Posted on 8/1/16 at 1:08 pm to SummerOfGeorge
I really like our receives alot.I think they'll help Allen a great deal.His brother didn't have as good a core early on or he probably wouldn't have struggled as much.
Posted on 8/1/16 at 1:16 pm to Clark14
I'm not sure there's a duo I would take over Ridley and Howard if Howard can finally be consistent, but A&M to me has the deepest group and Kirk is a star.
Posted on 8/1/16 at 1:16 pm to GnashRebel
Definitely think those are probably the best three receiving corps in the conference (LSU has some top heavy talent too), but I'm not sold on Bama's corps at #2 overall. I'm sure they're all former blue chips, but if Bama's going to give a guy ~ 40 carries a game, how would we know who can catch the ball (other than Ridley, and Howard that one time)?
Posted on 8/1/16 at 1:17 pm to TOFTR
Dieter has proven himself plenty.
Posted on 8/1/16 at 1:26 pm to Gradual_Stroke
quote:
I'd take our wideouts over Alabama's any day of the week
Ricky Seals-Jones still better than Amari Cooper too?
Posted on 8/1/16 at 1:27 pm to Gradual_Stroke
Excited to see our stable of WRs with a veteran QB slinging the rock.
Posted on 8/1/16 at 1:30 pm to TOFTR
quote:
I'm sure they're all former blue chips, but if Bama's going to give a guy ~ 40 carries a game, how would we know who can catch the ball (other than Ridley, and Howard that one time)?
Calvin Ridley 89 catches for 1045 yards and 7 TDs
ArDarius Stewart 63 catches for 700 yards and 4 TDs
OJ Howard 38 catches for 602 yards and 2 TDs
Bring back Robert Foster from injury and add grad transfer Gehrig Dieter.
Posted on 8/1/16 at 1:30 pm to Piscinin
Dieter arguably did more in single games last season than his entire collegiate career prior to 2015. He clearly had an incredible season, but that was for Bowling Green. Playing in the West isn't exactly the same as being the cream of the crop against some MACtion. Luckily for Bama, he tore it up against Tennessee last year, but he had one catch for a mere 14 yards against the only other P5 team he faced last year, lowly Maryland. I'm not saying he's a bad pickup by any stretch, but it's not a done deal that he's going to shine for the Tide either. Of the three listed, aTm is the only one that could comfortably trot out experience at every receiving spot in an empty set formation.
Posted on 8/1/16 at 1:32 pm to TOFTR
He doesn't need to shine. That's what Ridley and Foster are for. Dieter just adds a unique dynamic to the passing game like Richard Mullaney did in 2015.
Posted on 8/1/16 at 1:33 pm to TOFTR
quote:
TOFTR
OJ Howard was 2nd in the SEC in receiving yards last year for Tight Ends (behind Hunter Henry). He was 3rd in the SEC in receptions. He is a proven pass catching tight end, even without factoring in his playoff game vs Clemson.
ArDarius Stewart had big games in almost all our biggest games
Ole Miss : 8 for 73, 1 TD
Tennessee : 5 for 88, 0 TD
Auburn : 8 for 81, 1 TD
Florida : 4 for 64, 1 TD
Robert Foster had 10 catches for 116 yards and 2 TDs in roughly 8 quarters of ball between the Wisconsin, first half of MTSU and first qtr of Ole Miss before his injury.
Gehrig Dieter had
Tennessee (9-4): 7 for 133, 1 TD
Purdue (2-10) : 10 for 96, 0 TD
Toledo (10-2) : 13 for 103, 3 TD
And that doesn't count the young kids.
Ridley, Stewart, Foster, Dieter plus Howard, it's a pretty good main group.
This post was edited on 8/1/16 at 1:37 pm
Posted on 8/1/16 at 1:34 pm to Gradual_Stroke
A&M's returning starting group is responsible for 40+ touchdowns
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