Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Unit Analysis: Wide Receiver

Time to take a look at probably the most talked about unit on the team this off-season, the wide receivers.  The Bulls have some of the most gifted athletes at wide receiver this season probably in program history, but will it translate to a big season in the passing game?  Let's take a look at all the skill players and who will emerge as the top targets in 2012.


Depth Chart coming out of the spring:

Andre Davis (6-1 200-pounds); Sterling Griffin (6-0 194-pounds); Chris Dunkley (6-0 177-pounds)
Ruben Gonzalez (6-3 210-pounds); Stephen Bravo-Brown (5-10 178-pounds)
Victor Marc (5-11 225-pounds); Terrence Mitchell (5-10 158-pounds); Derrick Hopkins (5-5 160-pounds)

Who else is on the roster: Aside from the starters, the Bulls have a stable full of receivers.  Deonte Welch (6-0 206-pounds), Allen Singleton (6-0 185-pounds), Alex Mut (6-3 191-pounds), and Jordan Duval (6-2 219-pounds) round out the talented group.

What the team lost:  The Bulls only lost 1 receiver after last season, A.J. Love, who recently signed with the Minnesota Vikings.

Incoming 2012 recruits: The Bulls finally added Alex Mut to the team after he took a grey shirt last season.  4-star D'Vario Montgomery (6-3 210-pounds) is enrolling this summer and could make a major impact in his first season on campus.

Strength of the unit:  Depth, speed, and talent.  Those three words sum up this unit perfectly as they look to reset some record books in 2012.  Just 2 years ago, the Bulls were shuffling everyone they could onto the field, hoping to find a wide receiver (players were moved around out of position in order to find able body receivers).  Now in 2012, there are more receivers than spots open, making it hard to get them all on the field.  The toughest battle comes down to Davis, Griffin, and Dunkley.  Davis, the 6-2 Chamberlain product, became the go-to receiver this spring after a strong freshman year.  Many are expecting him to break a few records this season, but with Griffin pushing for playing time, he has to step up to stay on the field.  Griffin is the Bulls leading returning receiver, but behind him is former 5-star recruit Chris Dunkley who is a big play waiting to happen.  Ruben Gonzalez surprised a lot of people by quietly being added to the depth chart at the starting position, but has the size to be a huge factor.  Marc is a solid receiver, but with the raw speed of a healthy Terrence Mitchell behind him, the job will be hard to keep.  Others such as Welch who caught for over 400 yards last season, Montgomery and the accolades that follow him and the others, depth is no problem for this group.


The great thing about this unit is the competition and the cross training each receiver is doing.  They all push each other to become better, raising the level of play for everyone.  They also can play at any position, so other receivers such as Welch could slide to where Gonzalez is and give the team a new look and they can go to 4-wide sets if they wanted, stretching the field out even more.

Weakness of the unit: Too much hype?  There is a lot of expectations and hype around this group of receivers, but the question has to be asked, are we thinking too big?  Davis is good, but can he live up to the expectations many are placing on him?  Griffin is a great player, but injuries have been an issue over his career and there is questions whether or not Dunkley can live up to the hype after sitting out a season (also lingering issues from wrist surgery could be a factor, shouldn't be, but can never know).  Mitchell is healthy, but is he ready to go and how good can Marc can be at that position?  Others like Montgomery are young and inexperienced so there should be some concern if they can handle the pressure. 


Overall assessment: A.  Can and will this unit reach the A+ status, sure they can and they most likely will but until we see them in action it is impossible to give them a perfect grade.  The weaknesses are real concerns, but we are hard pressed to find the major issues with the unit.  It should be a fun season for the passing game for the Bulls. 

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