Spring Position Battle - WR

[Eric]

I feel confident that DeAndre Smelter has one spot locked up...he was really impressive last year. If you haven't watched his blocking go back and watch it...he is an all around good player.

Which means we have several fighting for one spot.

Competitors- Darren Waller, Anthony Autry, Ricky Jeune, Micheal Summers and Antonio Messick.

Favored - Darren Waller

Let's start off with the favored Darren Waller...He is a multi year started and enjoyed his best season last year. He lead the team at WR with 367 yards receiving and averaged 21.6 yards a catch...He had two long bombs against UGA and Ole Miss...He seems to have progressed some in my mind and is at least more consistent. I just feel like there is so much more there though...a lot of the times it seems that he appears lethargic on the field. Not saying that he is lazy or anything but to me I feel that his ceiling is high but he is nowhere near it. I will say that he is a hard worker in the off-season...His spot is up for grabs but you have to think he has the inside track.

Next is Anthony Autry who showed flashes of his potential before suffering an ACL tear...he was ready to go for the 2013 campaign but another ACL tear messed that up. He is back healthy now and is looking forward to getting back on the field...Autry is the opposite of Waller. I really like watching Autry play...he isn't the fastest, strongest or the most talented but he busts his tail every play...I love his attitude on the field...he really gets after it blocking. Autry isn't a speedster but does get better separation than majority of our WR's. If nothing else Autry will be a solid player who pushes others around him.

Micheal Summers had a good first season...I was happy with some things that he showed. He is quick and is someone that we can utilize again on the smoke route. Summers had his ups and downs last year....he struggled with assignments at times. He appears natural as a WR with the ball in the air...makes good adjustments on the ball. Another solid player who helps give good depth.

The first Freshman I want to talk about is Ricky Jeune...The coaches were close to playing Jeune around mid-season but decided to hold back and not waste a year. He had a good year on the scout team and the coaches are excited about him...He has good size as he is 6'3 and has a frame that can add more weight. Will likely be a key guy in the future.

Sleeper of the group is Antonio Messick..He came to Tech as a really raw and thing WR. He has developed nicely during his redshirt year...Messick loves to be physical and he blocks with effort. That is the first thing you notice about him when he plays...He also is quicker and faster than people give him credit for. Another guy that gives us good depth...Messick is still raw but I would like to see him get some snaps this season...a guy that I think will end up being better than most think.

*Corey Dennis is in this group as well

Prediction - Waller.

 

[techman78]

Smelter had some absolutely bone crushing blocks last season. I loved the one he had against Ole Miss, IIRC he knocked the guy out of the game.
Im really anxious to see Autry out there again. He was really looking good as a freshman before the injury. Hopefully he has fully recovered.
I liked the way that Waller finished the season. He was kinda hard to figure out at times but when he put it all together he did a nice job out there. I hope that Waller is the guy opposite Smelter just because of his physical presence but I wouldnt mind it being Autry one bit just because of the effort he plays with.

 

[Boomergump]

Not that we are stacked with ALL ACC guys, but we are in better shape than we have been in recent years at this position coming in.

 

[Eric]

Not that we are stacked with ALL ACC guys, but we are in better shape than we have been in recent years at this position coming in.

By far...we've come a long way. We actually have some depth.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

 

[ATL1]

It's hard to develop when you get such limited touches, I will say however that last season I thought there was a conscious effort to get the ball to the receivers and it was the QB who left them hanging.
Would still like to see more separation and more fight to snag the ball out the air from them as a group. Interesting to see how this group will play out next season.

 

[Techster]

Smelter has next level potential to me. He's just a gifted overall football player. The one thing he needs to work on is his explosiveness off the ball, and speed. He has a natural knack for finding the open space. He's not a burner, but is faster than it looks.

I'm excited to see what Jeune brings to the table. Looking at his prep film, he just seems like a natural receiver, and probably CPJ's best overall WR prospect he's recruited. Where Stephen Hill was just pure physical talent, Jeune looks like he was born to play WR. He's not super fast, but he's got good speed. Great at locating the ball and getting to it before the defender does. Good body control, and knows how to use his frame.

Messick reminds me a little of Tyler Melton. Might not see the ball a lot, but will probably catch everything his way. Will also probably be one of the better blockers on our team. Loved that he took great pride in sending messages when he went to block defenders. Will be a solid contributor for our system.

Waller, for all the grief he got early last season, was probably our best receiving threat over the last few games. What he flashed in those games was the WR we were all expecting. If he can continue to play at that level, we'll have a great 1-2 combo with Smelter and him.

Autry, like Eric kinda touched on, is just a guy that gets "it" about what CPJ is trying to do with our offense. He's that lunch pail guy that's not going to question why, he's just going to go all out in whatever the coaches ask him to do. That goes a long way in our offense. He definitely plays with a chip on his shoulder. Not the most physically gifted WR, but probably the best WR in terms of making the most of what God gave him.

Summers...heard a lot about him from his redshirt year, but didn't quite live up to the hype. Good player, but definitely didn't display the 4.3 speed we heard so much about across several boards.

 

[UgaBlows]

Smelter attacks the ball, I love that about his game

 

[presjacket]

Corey Dennis started 3 games at WR last season. You've only listed him as an afterthought. Do you expect him to fall to the bottom of the depth chart?

 

[gtg936g]

If we run plays out of our bunch formation I think we will see Autry over Waller. Waller had some trouble blocking last year, and I think Autry is more physical. I like our WR group, they are not what every team needs, but they are exactly what we need. They are physical and can go get the ball. This is a close group, I think we will see a lot of rotation with our WRs, and I think this year may be the best passing year we have had under CPJ. This group will win us some games in 2014.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Smelter has next level potential to me. He's just a gifted overall football player. The one thing he needs to work on is his explosiveness off the ball, and speed. He has a natural knack for finding the open space. He's not a burner, but is faster than it looks.

I'm excited to see what Jeune brings to the table. Looking at his prep film, he just seems like a natural receiver, and probably CPJ's best overall WR prospect he's recruited. Where Stephen Hill was just pure physical talent, Jeune looks like he was born to play WR. He's not super fast, but he's got good speed. Great at locating the ball and getting to it before the defender does. Good body control, and knows how to use his frame.

Messick reminds me a little of Tyler Melton. Might not see the ball a lot, but will probably catch everything his way. Will also probably be one of the better blockers on our team. Loved that he took great pride in sending messages when he went to block defenders. Will be a solid contributor for our system.

Waller, for all the grief he got early last season, was probably our best receiving threat over the last few games. What he flashed in those games was the WR we were all expecting. If he can continue to play at that level, we'll have a great 1-2 combo with Smelter and him.

Autry, like Eric kinda touched on, is just a guy that gets "it" about what CPJ is trying to do with our offense. He's that lunch pail guy that's not going to question why, he's just going to go all out in whatever the coaches ask him to do. That goes a long way in our offense. He definitely plays with a chip on his shoulder. Not the most physically gifted WR, but probably the best WR in terms of making the most of what God gave him.

Summers...heard a lot about him from his redshirt year, but didn't quite live up to the hype. Good player, but definitely didn't display the 4.3 speed we heard so much about across several boards.

Dang dude, after reading that I'm stoked about our wr corps!!!

 

[Techster]

Dang dude, after reading that I'm stoked about our wr corps!!!

This will be CPJ's deepest group of WRs. I'm excited about them as well. This may be the first time that our entire group of rotating WRs will be a threat to the defense as opposed to leaning on Demaryius or Stephen. Plus we have talented youngsters we can season this year (Jeune and Messick) to get them ready for next season.

 

[Eric]

Corey Dennis started 3 games at WR last season. You've only listed him as an afterthought. Do you expect him to fall to the bottom of the depth chart?

Yes I do, we didn't have any depth last year which lead to his minutes. Corey gives it his all on the field but he just doesn't have the skill set to beat out these guys in my mind...this will be his Senior year and he still hasn't recorded a catch.

 

[Pj4prez01]

I really liked Jeune's high school film. I thought he and Messick were much better than the guy from lovejoy that de committed the week before signing day.

 

[Eric]

Man I loved Ramos...he was a real sleeper. Had only played football for 2 years. Unfortunately his HS coach got him away from us...he had a good first year at Nc State.

 

[wingsrlevel]

Yes I do, we didn't have any depth last year which lead to his minutes. Corey gives it his all on the field but he just doesn't have the skill set to beat out these guys in my mind...this will be his Senior year and he still hasn't recorded a catch.

He only played WR last year I believe. What skill set is he lacking that would make you think he's not as talented as Jeune or Messick?

 

[Eric]

Last year was his second full year at WR...he doesn't get seperation, not as fast or athletic either. Just doesn't have the natural ability either of them have.

 

[stylee]

Dennis is a pretty good blocker, which helps him get on the field. However, he wasn't initially a WR, only moving there after a series of injuries.

I'm not usually the type to say stuff like this, but we need to put more of an emphasis on getting Smelter the ball. Players, not plays, are ultimately what matters. He's without question one of our better offensive players. He doesn't influence defenses in quite the same way as Bebe...he's not as much of a deep-threat decoy to keep safeties honest ... so we need to maximize his abilities in other ways.

 

[vamosjackets]

Dennis is a pretty good blocker, which helps him get on the field. However, he wasn't initially a WR, only moving there after a series of injuries.

I'm not usually the type to say stuff like this, but we need to put more of an emphasis on getting Smelter the ball. Players, not plays, are ultimately what matters. He's without question one of our better offensive players. He doesn't influence defenses in quite the same way as Bebe...he's not as much of a deep-threat decoy to keep safeties honest ... so we need to maximize his abilities in other ways.

Couldn't agree more. He's our most talented offensive player (without seeing JT and Custis really perform yet). It should be a perogative to try to get the ball in his hands 5-10 times per game. He's just a step above, athlete wise. Reminds me a lot of Bay Bay, but perhaps with good rather than elite speed.

 

[ATL1]

Smelter should get targeted the same way Godhigh was targeted to get the ball in his hands. As of right now he is our only known playmaker.