WR Top Ten and First Look:
1. Christian Kirk, Texas A&M
2. Equanimeous St. Brown, Notre Dame
3. James Washington, Oklahoma State (on right)
4. Courtland Sutton, SMU
5. Deon Cain, Clemson
6. Calvin Ridley, Alabama
7. Dante Pettis, Washington
8. Antonio Callaway, Florida
9. Linell Bonner, Houston
10. Anthony Miller, Memphis
The wide receiver class of 2018 has plenty of talent, but lacks a unanimous number one prospect. I have seen seven different WR1s among the analysts I follow. Your's truly has Christian Kirk ranked as the top receiver in this class. He may only be 5'11'' and 200 lbs, but he is a class above every other receiver when it comes to explosiveness. He displays excellent route running and is a YAC monster. He has soft hands and has made some very tough catches in his career. Add on his value as a returner (23.1 yards per punt return, 5 TDs), and Kirk deserves the number one spot. Behind Kirk is the best name in college football Equanimeous St. Brown. He is a 6'4'' receiver who moves like he is 5'10''. He is an awesome athlete for his size, displaying a good vertical jump and impressive speed. He also was responsible for catching a number of wild DeShone Kizer throws in spectacular fashion for a total of 961 yards (16.6 per reception) and 9 touchdowns last season. Next on the list is James Washington, the favorite target of Mason Rudolph and one of the most consistent players in college football (two consecutive 1000 yard seasons with double digit touchdowns). According to Pro Football Focus, he also was third the nation in deep ball catches with 15 and led the country in deep ball receiving yards with 690*. Following Washington is the 6'4'' Courtland Sutton. Sutton is bigger and stronger than Equanimous St. Brown, but he doesn't quite have the speed to match. Still, Sutton is a big play threat who physically dominates opponents and his career is littered with highlight catches. Rounding out the top five is Deon Cain. After being suspended for the National Championship game in 2016 for violating team rules, Cain redeemed himself by catching 38 passes for 728 yards and 9 touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, 8 of those touchdown were on deep throws.
At number six stands Calvin Ridley, a former 5-star recruit and Alabama's best receiver for the past two seasons. While he has a thin frame and suffers from too many concentration drops, he is an explosive athlete and vertical threat. If Alabama wasn't content with playing smash mouth football, Ridley would put up huge numbers compared to what he already does (790 yards, 8 TDs in 2016). After Calvin Ridley comes Dante Pettis, who made a formidable receiving duo with John Ross in 2016. Pettis may not share Ross' extreme speed, but he is a good route runner and has excellent hands. Antonio Callaway would be much higher on this list if it weren't for his laundry list of off the field incidents. The 5'11'' 197 pound receiver has the explosiveness to excel in the pros, but marijuana abuse and domestic violence accusations will keep him from cracking into the top tier. Linell Bonner is probably most remembered for his insane catch against Oklahoma last season (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z4ZleWWkaM). Bonner excelled in the slot and had the lowest drop rate in the country when it comes to wide receivers. Anthony Miller is 5'11'' and 191 pounds with fantastic route running ability and sure hands. He was one of the most productive receivers in the CFB last season with 95 catches, 1434 receiving yards, and 14 receiving touchdowns. Miller should put up huge numbers again with Riley Ferguson throwing to him.
Match-ups to Watch:
Clemson vs Florida State, November 11th
While Deon Cain was productive last year, he was Clemson's No.2 wide receiver behind Mike Williams. With the defenses attention on him, he will have to prove he can get open against Tavarus McFadden, one of the best corners in the CFB. This is also a great game to witness Auden Tate, Florida State's 6'5'' wide out who many are projecting to have a breakout season, against one of college football's best defenses.
Houston vs Temple, September 30th
In this matchup, Linell Bonner will be catching balls from a new starting quarterback (presumably Kyle Allen) against a Temple defense that allowed the third least passing yards in 2016. If Bonner has a big day, teams will take notice.
Washington vs Colorado, September 23rd
This will be Dante Pettis' first real test. Colorado pulled off a surprise 10-4 record in 2016, in large part due to their secondary. If Pettis can handle the role of a WR1, he will prove it against the buffaloes.
*According to Pro Football Focus, a deep ball is one that travels 20 or more yards through the air.
Follow 4 Down Scouting on Twitter @4DownScouting
All stats come from www.sports-refrence.com unless otherwise noted
4. Courtland Sutton, SMU
5. Deon Cain, Clemson
6. Calvin Ridley, Alabama
7. Dante Pettis, Washington
8. Antonio Callaway, Florida
9. Linell Bonner, Houston
10. Anthony Miller, Memphis
The wide receiver class of 2018 has plenty of talent, but lacks a unanimous number one prospect. I have seen seven different WR1s among the analysts I follow. Your's truly has Christian Kirk ranked as the top receiver in this class. He may only be 5'11'' and 200 lbs, but he is a class above every other receiver when it comes to explosiveness. He displays excellent route running and is a YAC monster. He has soft hands and has made some very tough catches in his career. Add on his value as a returner (23.1 yards per punt return, 5 TDs), and Kirk deserves the number one spot. Behind Kirk is the best name in college football Equanimeous St. Brown. He is a 6'4'' receiver who moves like he is 5'10''. He is an awesome athlete for his size, displaying a good vertical jump and impressive speed. He also was responsible for catching a number of wild DeShone Kizer throws in spectacular fashion for a total of 961 yards (16.6 per reception) and 9 touchdowns last season. Next on the list is James Washington, the favorite target of Mason Rudolph and one of the most consistent players in college football (two consecutive 1000 yard seasons with double digit touchdowns). According to Pro Football Focus, he also was third the nation in deep ball catches with 15 and led the country in deep ball receiving yards with 690*. Following Washington is the 6'4'' Courtland Sutton. Sutton is bigger and stronger than Equanimous St. Brown, but he doesn't quite have the speed to match. Still, Sutton is a big play threat who physically dominates opponents and his career is littered with highlight catches. Rounding out the top five is Deon Cain. After being suspended for the National Championship game in 2016 for violating team rules, Cain redeemed himself by catching 38 passes for 728 yards and 9 touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, 8 of those touchdown were on deep throws.
At number six stands Calvin Ridley, a former 5-star recruit and Alabama's best receiver for the past two seasons. While he has a thin frame and suffers from too many concentration drops, he is an explosive athlete and vertical threat. If Alabama wasn't content with playing smash mouth football, Ridley would put up huge numbers compared to what he already does (790 yards, 8 TDs in 2016). After Calvin Ridley comes Dante Pettis, who made a formidable receiving duo with John Ross in 2016. Pettis may not share Ross' extreme speed, but he is a good route runner and has excellent hands. Antonio Callaway would be much higher on this list if it weren't for his laundry list of off the field incidents. The 5'11'' 197 pound receiver has the explosiveness to excel in the pros, but marijuana abuse and domestic violence accusations will keep him from cracking into the top tier. Linell Bonner is probably most remembered for his insane catch against Oklahoma last season (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z4ZleWWkaM). Bonner excelled in the slot and had the lowest drop rate in the country when it comes to wide receivers. Anthony Miller is 5'11'' and 191 pounds with fantastic route running ability and sure hands. He was one of the most productive receivers in the CFB last season with 95 catches, 1434 receiving yards, and 14 receiving touchdowns. Miller should put up huge numbers again with Riley Ferguson throwing to him.
Match-ups to Watch:
Clemson vs Florida State, November 11th
While Deon Cain was productive last year, he was Clemson's No.2 wide receiver behind Mike Williams. With the defenses attention on him, he will have to prove he can get open against Tavarus McFadden, one of the best corners in the CFB. This is also a great game to witness Auden Tate, Florida State's 6'5'' wide out who many are projecting to have a breakout season, against one of college football's best defenses.
Houston vs Temple, September 30th
In this matchup, Linell Bonner will be catching balls from a new starting quarterback (presumably Kyle Allen) against a Temple defense that allowed the third least passing yards in 2016. If Bonner has a big day, teams will take notice.
Washington vs Colorado, September 23rd
This will be Dante Pettis' first real test. Colorado pulled off a surprise 10-4 record in 2016, in large part due to their secondary. If Pettis can handle the role of a WR1, he will prove it against the buffaloes.
*According to Pro Football Focus, a deep ball is one that travels 20 or more yards through the air.
Follow 4 Down Scouting on Twitter @4DownScouting
All stats come from www.sports-refrence.com unless otherwise noted
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