wide receivers

[davislove 0]

We spend a lot of time dissecting the defense but I feel some insecurity problems at the wideout spot as well.

 

We have numbers but who can be counted on or is a true number one seems to be in question. The "we're gonna spread it out" response is such a crock. When does a good team not have a go to guy? The only rare exceptions are like the dream team.

 

Looking at the grad transfers. Neither were highly ranked and if we needed a speedster didn't corey holmes fit the bill? He was a much higher rated kid as well.

 

Not that rankings matter much at the WR spot, some of our best kids were way down the list. Will Fuller comes to mind as well as kevin stepherson.

 

I think the highest rated WR to commit under Kelly was Justin brent. He kinda looked the part of a stud receiver. Why was he moved to running back? That's a mystery as much as why we continue to take these jumbo wide receivers that don't really provide much impact?

 

I'm interested in seeing how it all flushes out and see how corey and Justin career pan out as well.

[Irish_Convert 1]

I think ESB is your number one WR, Chase Claypool, Kevin Stepherson or Miles Boykin could be number two with CJ Sanders or Finke at number three in the slot, assuming they all stay healthy.

 

I believe Justin Brent was recruited as an "athlete", just never seemed to find a position he fit well and he was bounced from one position to another by CBK/the staff. I'm sure the whole sleeping with a porn star thing and putting pics out on social media stuck him in the doghouse for awhile too.

 

Didn't he switch to defense for awhile as well? Anyway, bouncing a player back and forth isn't great for their development when you have a maximum of five, sometimes six years to get it done.

 

The Nevada Wolfpack site has him listed as a WR.

 

The official roster lists sixteen players at WR but seven are freshman or sophomores and unless they have elite talent, I'd prefer those guys sit and learn, especially since they have to adjust or are still adjusting to the academic workload.

Edited August 1, 2017 by Irish_Convert

[LasVegasIrish 0]

We spend a lot of time dissecting the defense but I feel some insecurity problems at the wideout spot as well.

 

We have numbers but who can be counted on or is a true number one seems to be in question. The "we're gonna spread it out" response is such a crock. When does a good team not have a go to guy? The only rare exceptions are like the dream team.

 

Looking at the grad transfers. Neither were highly ranked and if we needed a speedster didn't corey holmes fit the bill? He was a much higher rated kid as well.

 

Not that rankings matter much at the WR spot, some of our best kids were way down the list. Will Fuller comes to mind as well as kevin stepherson.

 

I think the highest rated WR to commit under Kelly was Justin brent. He kinda looked the part of a stud receiver. Why was he moved to running back? That's a mystery as much as why we continue to take these jumbo wide receivers that don't really provide much impact?

 

I'm interested in seeing how it all flushes out and see how corey and Justin career pan out as well.

 

Cam Smith is a far superior player to Corey Holmes. Injuries derailed him at ASU, but early in his career is was very good.

 

ESB will definitely be relied on heavily, and there's no reason to believe he can't have at least a repeat season to last year. Obviously, the TEs will be more heaviliy utilized as well, and Mack split out is essentially a WR from an athletic standpoint.

 

Boykin, Claypool, Stepherson, etc. will also get chances to prove themselves as the number 2. When the bright lights are on, certain guys step up. We will see who does.

[KamaraPolice 0]

Cam Smith is a far superior player to Corey Holmes. Injuries derailed him at ASU, but early in his career is was very good.

 

ESB will definitely be relied on heavily, and there's no reason to believe he can't have at least a repeat season to last year. Obviously, the TEs will be more heaviliy utilized as well, and Mack split out is essentially a WR from an athletic standpoint.

 

Boykin, Claypool, Stepherson, etc. will also get chances to prove themselves as the number 2. When the bright lights are on, certain guys step up. We will see who does.

 

Right, and remember, cam played for Chip long when he was asu's oc and for del Alexander who was asu's receivers coach up to a few months ago. Cam smith knows the offense.

[davislove 0]

Cam Smith is a far superior player to Corey Holmes. Injuries derailed him at ASU, but early in his career is was very good.

 

ESB will definitely be relied on heavily, and there's no reason to believe he can't have at least a repeat season to last year. Obviously, the TEs will be more heaviliy utilized as well, and Mack split out is essentially a WR from an athletic standpoint.

 

Boykin, Claypool, Stepherson, etc. will also get chances to prove themselves as the number 2. When the bright lights are on, certain guys step up. We will see who does.

 

So you think if corey went to ASU he wouldn't have played over smith? Did the scouting service drop miss that bad? He was like ranked 3 spots ahead of me as a WR and I'm old and fat.

 

Are any of our guys studs? If esb, boykin and claypool live up to their hype. How are we not a championship team?

 

I believe esb will be the best but none of the other guys are gonna set the world on fire.

[tneun89 1,118]

Right, and remember, cam played for Chip long when he was asu's oc and for del Alexander who was asu's receivers coach up to a few months ago. Cam smith knows the offense.

 

He was repping with the 1's today.

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">One of the interesting wrinkles at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotreDame?src=hash">#NotreDame</a>'s first football practice today was Ariz St grad transfer Cam Smith taking reps with 1st team.</p>— Eric Hansen (@EHansenNDI) <a href="

">August 1, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[davislove 0]

He was repping with the 1's today.

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">One of the interesting wrinkles at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotreDame?src=hash">#NotreDame</a>'s first football practice today was Ariz St grad transfer Cam Smith taking reps with 1st team.</p>— Eric Hansen (@EHansenNDI) <a href="

">August 1, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

Not taking anything away but you gotta wonder is it more for demonstration purposes. Anyway, I just read the first day thread and I felt a little excitement.

[hawaiiirish 62]

EQB had 1000 yards last year in his first real season----hi is the #1 or go to guy if you prefer, no doubt about it.

 

Not at all worried about receivers we seem to have lots of good ones ---maybe no burner like Will but then not many do---

 

Great height across the board and we add Alzie to the recievers they should be a HANDFUL to cover

 

aloha

[LasVegasIrish 0]

So you think if corey went to ASU he wouldn't have played over smith? Did the scouting service drop miss that bad? He was like ranked 3 spots ahead of me as a WR and I'm old and fat.

 

Are any of our guys studs? If esb, boykin and claypool live up to their hype. How are we not a championship team?

 

I believe esb will be the best but none of the other guys are gonna set the world on fire.

 

Regarding Holmes/Smith that's a tough question to answer. No one really knows how a player would end up if he signed with another university, but plenty of highly rated guys are passed over or not as good as lower rated guys. Obviously, the staff preferred Smith on this roster though.

 

Our any of are guys studs? Well, I think ESB is very close to one and if he takes his game to new heights, he's definitely one. I've seen mocks with him as a top 5-10 receiver for this coming years draft. That's pretty high praise, but he still has plenty to work on. I'm a big fan of Claypool though. It might not be this year where the breakout happens, and he "sets the world on fire", but I expect him to be a great compliment this year and take over as the No. 1 next season.

 

Outside of Claypool, I'm a big fan of Michael Young as well. I think he will be a really good receiver for the team in the coming seasons. Guys like Boykin/Stephenson/Sanders etc. are all solid program guys possibly good number 2 type options, but I don't see them as number 1s.

[SmilingEyes 1]

Regarding Holmes/Smith that's a tough question to answer. No one really knows how a player would end up if he signed with another university, but plenty of highly rated guys are passed over or not as good as lower rated guys. Obviously, the staff preferred Smith on this roster though.

 

Our any of are guys studs? Well, I think ESB is very close to one and if he takes his game to new heights, he's definitely one. I've seen mocks with him as a top 5-10 receiver for this coming years draft. That's pretty high praise, but he still has plenty to work on. I'm a big fan of Claypool though. It might not be this year where the breakout happens, and he "sets the world on fire", but I expect him to be a great compliment this year and take over as the No. 1 next season.

 

Outside of Claypool, I'm a big fan of Michael Young as well. I think he will be a really good receiver for the team in the coming seasons. Guys like Boykin/Stephenson/Sanders etc. are all solid program guys possibly good number 2 type options, but I don't see them as number 1s.

 

I'm surprised to hear you say Stepherson is only solid. A lot of the media guys are sky high on him. What is it that makes Young stand out compared to a guy like him to you?

[davislove 0]

EQB had 1000 yards last year in his first real season----hi is the #1 or go to guy if you prefer, no doubt about it.

 

Not at all worried about receivers we seem to have lots of good ones ---maybe no burner like Will but then not many do---

 

Great height across the board and we add Alzie to the recievers they should be a HANDFUL to cover

 

aloha

 

I'm not really concerned about height. It sounds good but when was the last time a tall guy gave us an advantage? You would think we'd be good in the RZ, instead we suck. Golden tate went up and got more balls then our jumbo wideouts.

[LasVegasIrish 0]

I'm surprised to hear you say Stepherson is only solid. A lot of the media guys are sky high on him. What is it that makes Young stand out compared to a guy like him to you?

 

To clarify I'm very high on Young as a slot guy. His hands are insane and he's just really, really smooth. Golden Tate level hands possibly.

 

I really like Stepherson, especially as a deep threat and just all-around speed threat, but he does lack consistency and focus. Will make an outstanding play and then turn around and drop an easy one. If he can develop like Chris Brown, I could see him reaching his full potential as a dynamic go to WR, but that's a big if for me. He has more natural talent than Brown, that's not an athletic comparison. Brown became a leader and much better player as the years went on. That's the trajectory I can see with Stepherson.

[NDCrusader 0]

Brent was a RB in HS. ran for over 1300 yards with a 8 ypc avg.

 

Too bad the staff couldn't unlock his potential like he did a similar athlete in CJ Procise.

[NDCrusader 0]

I'm not really concerned about height. It sounds good but when was the last time a tall guy gave us an advantage? You would think we'd be good in the RZ, instead we suck. Golden tate went up and got more balls then our jumbo wideouts.

 

Come on now...

 

Samardzija, Kamara, Stovall, Floyd, Eifert.

[davislove 0]

Regarding Holmes/Smith that's a tough question to answer. No one really knows how a player would end up if he signed with another university, but plenty of highly rated guys are passed over or not as good as lower rated guys. Obviously, the staff preferred Smith on this roster though.

 

Our any of are guys studs? Well, I think ESB is very close to one and if he takes his game to new heights, he's definitely one. I've seen mocks with him as a top 5-10 receiver for this coming years draft. That's pretty high praise, but he still has plenty to work on. I'm a big fan of Claypool though. It might not be this year where the breakout happens, and he "sets the world on fire", but I expect him to be a great compliment this year and take over as the No. 1 next season.

 

Outside of Claypool, I'm a big fan of Michael Young as well. I think he will be a really good receiver for the team in the coming seasons. Guys like Boykin/Stephenson/Sanders etc. are all solid program guys possibly good number 2 type options, but I don't see them as number 1s.

 

I hear ya. and you have more inside info where as I only have past games to go off of.

 

Michael young, will fuller and kevin stepherson are all kids not highly rated but have similar build. not only fast but quick. Shouldn't recruit more kids with that profile? They seem to fit BK's style more then the bigger guys.

[SmilingEyes 1]

To clarify I'm very high on Young as a slot guy. His hands are insane and he's just really, really smooth. Golden Tate level hands possibly.

 

I really like Stepherson, especially as a deep threat and just all-around speed threat, but he does lack consistency and focus. Will make an outstanding play and then turn around and drop an easy one. If he can develop like Chris Brown, I could see him reaching his full potential as a dynamic go to WR, but that's a big if for me. He has more natural talent than Brown, that's not an athletic comparison. Brown became a leader and much better player as the years went on. That's the trajectory I can see with Stepherson.

 

So in other words, it's a lack of focus to his game that makes you cautious? I can see that.

 

I didn't know a whole lot about Young coming in. I thought he was supposed to be fast, but it's good to hear he's got hands as well.

[NDCrusader 0]

I hear ya. and you have more inside info where as I only have past games to go off of.

 

Michael young, will fuller and kevin stepherson are all kids not highly rated but have similar build. not only fast but quick. Shouldn't recruit more kids with that profile? They seem to fit BK's style more then the bigger guys.

 

Michael Young is a bulldog compared to those two. Breaks camp at 5-10, 190... as a frosh. One of the best blocking WR tapes you will ever see.

[KamaraPolice 0]

For what it's worth, I've heard media guys also say Stepherson is going to get passed over by cam smith, and this was before he lined up #1 today.

 

I haven't heard a word about Javon McKinley, which is interesting (for the board) given he was the highest rated of all the receivers.

[davislove 0]

Come on now...

 

Samardzija, Kamara, Stovall, Floyd, Eifert.

 

thank you PT.

I wouldn't call Floyd a jumbo wideout though.

 

It's been a long time since we had one.

[KamaraPolice 0]

Come on now...

 

Samardzija, Kamara, Stovall, Floyd, Eifert.

 

I just remember watching plaxico burress in college (see: msu vs. penn state) and it was like watching a high school kid playing 500 with 5th graders.

[davislove 0]

Brent was a RB in HS. ran for over 1300 yards with a 8 ypc avg.

 

Too bad the staff couldn't unlock his potential like he did a similar athlete in CJ Procise.

 

That's another thing that bothers me with recruiting. How can you rank a kid at a position he doesn't play?

 

We've had a few guys like that and I don't think many of them panned out. cj was exception we fell @ss backwards into that.

 

deion walker played qb was recruited as a wr and finished playing cb

onuwalu was a rb I think. He did ok

spond was a qb. wasn't anything great.

butler was a qb I believe. again.

barratti another qb

collinsworth was a running back recruited as a wr ended up on defense.

[NDCrusader 0]

thank you PT.

I wouldn't call Floyd a jumbo wideout though.

 

It's been a long time since we had one.

 

You're welcome FT.

 

Ask those college DB's who tried to cover him if 6-3, 225 is jumbo.

[NDCrusader 0]

I just remember watching plaxico burress in college (see: msu vs. penn state) and it was like watching a high school kid playing 500 with 5th graders.

 

He was fun to watch.

 

Funny thing is Samardzija had better stats while playing with two NFL TE's in Fasano and Carlson plus his Jr year... Stovall w/ 1000 yds and his Sr. year... McKnight w/ 900 yds+.

[davislove 0]

You're welcome FT.

 

Ask those college DB's who tried to cover him if 6-3, 225 is jumbo.

 

He wasn't that big.

 

 

Anyhow i was responding to hawaii who was suggesting that having size at wr was a positive. My point is I'd rather have talent then size in that regard.

[NDCrusader 0]

For what it's worth, I've heard media guys also say Stepherson is going to get passed over by cam smith, and this was before he lined up #1 today.

 

I haven't heard a word about Javon McKinley, which is interesting (for the board) given he was the highest rated of all the receivers.

 

Makes sense that Smith is with the first team early, he knows the O and has 2-3 years with Long & Alexander. If he's healthy, he's got a great chance to get a lot of snaps.

 

I think this year Von McKinley is going to emerge. I saw him play a lot when I was living in Orange Co for a few years. He's the best HS player I've ever seen and he did it with a 5-10 FCS QB against a who's who of P5 DB's. I'll go out on a limb and say the Top 4 WR's this year are:

 

Mack

ESB

Smith

McKinley

 

At some point Von is going to break out.

Edited August 1, 2017 by NDCrusader