As I've stated 100 times before - it's never too early to start talking about football. With that in mind I thought we could run down CollegeFootballNews.com's preview of the best 10 players by position in each conference. And since my team still resides in the Big 12 at the moment, we might as well start close to home. Here are the 10 best receivers in the Big 12.
Preview 2010 - Big 12 Ten Best Receivers
CollegeFootballNews.com
1. Ryan Broyles, Jr. Oklahoma The Sooners needed a No. 1 target to emerge from the pack going into last year, and they really needed a player to settle things down once Sam Bradford went down and with Jermaine Gresham out. Broyles stepped up his game and became terrific with a team-leading 89 catches for 1,120 yards and 15 touchdowns for the offense, while averaging a tremendous 15.87 yards per punt return. A steady speedster, he was dominant at times with three, three-touchdown games including a 13-catch, 156-yard, three touchdown effort against Stanford in the Sun Bowl. The problem is his size at a wispy 5-11 and 178 pounds, and he could have problems staying healthy. He was knocked out of the Miami game and missed the Baylor game the week after, but he’s tough, fast, and has a knack for always coming up with the key catch.
2. Jeff Fuller, Jr. Texas A&M Fuller came up with 50 catches as a breakout freshman, and he made the most of his 47 grabs last year with 568 yards and seven touchdowns including three against Texas. He would’ve had a far better statistical season but he suffered a broken leg in the second week of the year and missed all of four games and most of two others. It took him a while to get back into the swing of things, but he became his all-star caliber self by the end of the year. At 6-4 and 215 pounds he has tremendous size, a great motor, and the type of work ethic who’ll get a long look from the NFL types as a devastating No. 2 next-level target if he can stay healthy.
3. Malcolm Williams, Jr. Texas Ready to step up and become the team’s No. 1 receiver is Williams, a prototype NFL target who could blow up if the passing game really does start to go down the field more. At 6-3 and 225 pounds and with Texas high school state champion level speed, he has all the skills and he has shown flashes of being special catching nine passes for 132 yards against Texas A&M and made six grabs for 103 yards and a score against Kansas, but he only made 39 catches for 550 yards and two scores on the year. At the split end, the time is now to become special.
4. Detron Lewis, Sr. Texas Tech Lewis returns after growing into the team’s leader in receiving yards making 65 catches for 844 yards and six touchdowns. The 6-0, 205-pounder wasn’t always explosive and disappeared for stretches, but he had some big moments catching 13 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns in a two-game stretch against Kansas State and Nebraska, and he made ten grabs for 114 yards and a score against MSU in the bowl game. A physical, precise route runner, he can do even more as a No. 1 target. While he seems to work better with Steven Sheffield, he’ll produce at the Y position no matter who’s under center.
5. Hubert Anyiam, Jr. Oklahoma State With Dez Bryant getting suspended for the season, the team needed a player to step up and become a receiver to rely on as a No. 1. Anyiam wasn’t Bryant and wasn’t close to being a dangerous playmaker who struck fear in opposing defenses, but he was far better than expected finishing with a team-leading 42 catches for 515 yards and three touchdowns including ten grabs for 119 yards and a score against Missouri. A superstar recruit, the 6-0, 198-pounder might be just scratching the surface of his skills with great quickness and a good ability to get open.
6. Kendall Wright, Jr. Baylor Wright came up with a strong true freshman season making a team-leading 50 catches for 649 yards and five scores, and he followed it up with a team-leading 66 catches for 740 yards and four scores. The 5-10, 185-pound speedster has good hands, dependable route running ability, and is athletic enough to be used as a runner carrying the ball 28 times for 132 yards and a score. A guard for the Baylor basketball team, he has a 40” vertical to go along with his tremendous wheels.
7. Niles Paul, Sr. Nebraska The Nebraska passing game wasn’t exactly a plus, but Paul was a bright spot leading the team with 40 catches for 796 yards and four scores. A bit streaky, he had four 100-yard games (Missouri, Iowa State, Kansas and Missouri) but caught two passes or fewer in eight games. An all-academic performer, he got suspended for a stretch last offseason under suspicion of driving under the influence, but he didn’t miss any game time. This year, he not only has to be a No. 1 target, he has to use his deep speed and his 6-1, 220-pound size to be a weapon who takes the pressure off the ground game. He’s also an elite returner averaging close to 11 yards per punt return and 27.9 yards per kickoff.
8. Scotty McKnight, Sr. Colorado One of the few bright spots over the past few seasons has been McKnight, a 5-11, 185-pound senior who came up with 91 catches over his first two seasons before exploding for 76 grabs for 893 yards and six touchdowns last year. While he’s not the flashiest receiver and he has had problems staying healthy, suffering a broken ankle three years ago and an arm injury early last year, but he’s ultra-tough, makes every catch that comes his way, and is consistent.
9. Johnathan Wilson, Sr. Kansas After playing third fiddle to Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe, Wilson becomes the team’s No. 1 target. The 6-2, 190-pounder finished third on the team with 35 catches for 449 yards, but he didn’t get into the end zone and didn’t make more than three grabs in any game over the final six. He has enough speed to be used deep from time to time, but he has to prove he can be a clutch, go-to receiver.
As the only returning starter to the receiving corps, Kemp has to grow into a No. 1 role at the Z position. At 6-4 and 225 pounds he has excellent size to go along with just enough speed to work at the outside X position from time to time, but he has to do far more after making 23 catches for 418 yards and three scores. He only caught more than two passes in four games and had his high game of four catches for 77 yards and a touchdown in the opener against Illinois
I've got to agree with that list. In fact, I'm glad Nebraska even got a man on it.
No comments:
Post a Comment