The more I think about it, the more I think our WR's are getting kind of a bad rap. I understand Ute Fans' skepticism following last year's debacle. Furthermore, the fact remains that in order to be good at this position, someone new will have to make an immediate contribution.

The thing is, it's not like having a new receiver be an impact player in his first year at Utah is an unprecidented event. Deron Claiborne did it. Rocky Henry did it. Daniel Jones, Jerome Anderson, Stevonne Smith...well, you get the point. Because of the fact that our receiving corps is predominately JUCO athletes, there's always a lot of turnover in the receiving corps. Despite that, our receiving corps has NEVER been a weak spot for the team. I don't see any reason to believe why it will be so this year. In fact, I feel fairly confident in stating that if Lynzell Jackson is eligible, our receiving corps matches up with any other team in the conference with the possible exception of CSU.

You know, sometimes I actually feel bad for Cliff Russell. I can only imagine the pub he'd be getting if he'd played with a decent QB over the past two years. How many times have we seen Cliff blast past his defender and break into the open field, only to have the ball sail over his head - or more commonly hit him in the ankles...on the third bounce. He was on pace for a 1,200 yard season last year if he hadn't gotten injured - with a horrible QB.

Don't get me wrong, part of the blame also falls on Cliff. There were plenty of times where Cliff would blast past his defender and break into the open field, only to have the ball sail right through his hands. He'll need to work on this. Also, Cliff has never really been a "Go and Get It" type receiver that Bryan Rowley and Kevin Dyson were. He's always been able to get open, and for the most part, gets some good YAC, but if the ball isn't well thrown, he hasn't really shown the ability to adjust and make the play. Hopefully working out this offseason with Dyson will improve this aspect of his game.

Lynzell Jackson really could be a key this year - if he plays. (Man I hope he plays.) We'll probably be able to put together a decent squad without him, but he could be a difference maker even if he's only half as good as his hype. This is a guy that Athlon referred to as a "Future All American," Lindy's ranked as the #9 "impact freshman" in the country, and was almost unanimously considered a "Top 75" recruit. (Not too shabby considering D1-A recruiting includes over 2700 athletes annually.) Even if he's not quite this quality a player, he is 6'3", runs a 4.4 (11 flat in the 100), and has a 35 inch vertical. He certainly has all of the physical tools to make an immediate contribution.

Paris Jackson is a 6'1" leaper, though I've heard his speed may be questionable. We'll have to wait and see. Even if he's not the quickest guy in the world, I don't see any reason why he won't be every bit the receiver that Jerome Anderson was.

Lyman can be a solid receiver as well. He didn't really blow me away last year, but in Ver Steeg's offense, receivers like him will probably be pretty valuable. There will be a call for guys who will go over the middle and catch the ball in traffic. While I rarely saw a lot of potential for breaking big plays from Lyman, I NEVER saw him short arm a ball or break off a route to keep from getting hit.

One wild card may be Morgan Scalley. As much as I hate to say it, Scalley is the prototypical BYU receiver. He's not the fastest guy, or the best athlete on the field, but he runs crisp routes and catches everything thrown his way. Another thing I saw from him at the spring game are some incredible head/shoulder fakes that were always able to get him open. A couple of times, the CB was just left there gaping at the empty spot where Scalley just was. He could have quite the career here.

One other guy that could be a good eventually - though probably not this year - is James Neslen. At the spring game he showed some potential. He's got good speed (I'm guessing sub 4.5, though I couldn't prove it) great height (6'4") and a decent vertical. Unfortunately, it looked as though his hands were just freshly carved out of a block of Marble. He dropped an awful lot of passes. Nevertheless, he reminded me of Cliff Russell at the spring game after his RS year.

I'm not forgetting Chad Jacobson. I would make a good bet he'll red-shirt this year, but I could be wrong. I know Jacobson is 6'5", and has good hands. I don't know how big he is. It would be really nice if in the next year he could get up to about the 230 lb mark and play Tight End. If he can do that without sacrificing a ton of speed, his height would really make him a very promising prospect here.

Overall, I think we'll be fine at receiver no matter what happens - and we have the potential be as strong as anyone with a few breaks. My only real concern is the loss of Fred Graves. He was a big part of the strength of the receivers over the years. I'm not sure who's coaching the receivers this year. I thought I heard Vincent White would coach the RB's and Receivers after Lee Leslie left. I hope White isn't spread too thin. He's got a talented crew to work with, but with so many of them being new players, he may have to neglect the RB's a lot of the time while he molds the receivers.

If White can get them to play up to their potential, however, this position will be a strength once again.

GO UTES!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

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