SI.com Spring Position Rankings: WRs

[KingInExile]

Top-10 wide receivers according to SI.com's Spring Rankings

1. DeSean Jackson...California...Jr...6-0/171...Long Beach, CA
(Jackson will try to repeat his quick start from 2006.)

2. Mario Manningham...Michigan...Jr...6-0/186...Warren, OH
(He was the hottest receiver in the nation when he got hurt last year.)

3. Earl Bennett...Vanderbilt...Jr...6-0/195...Birmingham, AL
(Bennett has caught 161 passes in his first two seasons.)

4. Marcus Monk...Arkansas...Sr...6-6/222...Lepanto, AR
(Will the unsettled QB situation affect his production?)

5. Jarrett Dillard...Rice...Jr...5-11/160...San Antonio, TX
(Dillard led the nation with 21 TD catches last season.)

6. Malcolm Kelly...Oklahoma...Jr...6-4/204...Longview, TX
(He showed his big-play ability in the Big 12 championship.)

7. DJ Hall...Alabama...Sr...6-3/186...Ft...Walton Beach, FL
(Hall set a school single-season receiving record last year.)

8. Davone Bess...Hawaii...Jr...5-11/190...Oakland, CA
(Bess has caught 185 passes his last two seasons.)

9. Adarius Bowman...Oklahoma State...Sr...6-4/215...Chattanooga, TN
(His 300-yard effort against Kansas gives him a spot on the list.)

10. Harry Douglas...Louisville...Sr...5-11/170...Jonesboro, GA
(He had 466 receiving yards in his final three games last year.)

All I've got to say is that DeSean Jackson is just scary good no mater where he's ranked...that might be why he's at #1.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

I'm never impressed by DeSean Jackson. If he has the tools, he uses all of them maybe once a game. The rest of the time he's just coasting. I'd put Manningham No. 1 and move Bess and Dillard up a couple notches.

[GSWbandwagon]

jackson is at about a touchdown a game on his career and something like 1 td per 5 or 6 touches, including special teams. he's a playmaker.

[bigboy1234]

*cough* Percy Harvin *cough*

[magicfanejc42]

*cough* Percy Harvin *cough*

exactly...

[NO-KG-AI]

LSU receiving core should be great again.

[JoeJohnson2two]

I love Luke Swan. The kid catches anything that comes his way. Unfortunately John Stocco looked mainly for Beckum last year but Swan got his. But here's a quote that almost made me @!&* a brick.

Bielema has fielded calls from some national preseason magazines wanting to pose wideouts Luke Swan (35 catches, 595 yards, 5 TDs), Paul Hubbard (38-627-5) and tight end Travis Beckum (61-903-5) as the best receiving corp in the nation.

I'm dying to know what preseason magazine this is because, even as a Badgers fan, I know that these three are nowhere near the best. Beckum may be the best TE but Swan and Hubbard aren't top notch WR. Swan is great tho. Love him.

[MikeIsGood]

I think Swan overall this past year was better than Hubbard, but I'm pretty confident that Hubbard is poised for a break out year. He has every single physical tool you could ask for in a good body with great size combined with great speed and leaping ability - he needed repetition and experience last year, and you could tell as the year went on he started to get "it" and his hands improved greatly. I'm very excited to see how he preforms this year. Because defenses will be so keyed-in on Beckum given the terror he caused last year from the TE position, I wouldn't be surprised to see Hubbard take advantage of the opportunity and lead the team in receiving. Swan looked great at the spring game, and the coaching staff has been raving about the improvement both guys have made. Swan will make a very good third receiving option behind Beckum and Hubbard. Moore and Anderson can battle for the 4/5 options (3/4 at wideout), but I don't think either will see much burn until Swan and Hubbard graduate.

I don't think you should be too surprised about someone naming our trio the best in the Nation right now. It's because of the fact that they're all returning. Another trio is likely to step up as the year goes on and put up better stats, especially given that the Badgers have a propensity to run the ball, but right now it's likely one guy and a bunch of other guys that are relatively unproven. Take for example a team like LSU, who lost Bowe and Davis to the draft. USC losing Smith and Jarrett. We're returning 140 catches with 2,100 yards and 15 touchdowns (out of the top 3 - Beck, Hub, Swan).

Off of the top of my head, the trio as it stands now (like I said, with many teams losing their top guys with their other guys being unproven) is up there with Louisville's tandem of Douglas, Urrutia, and Barnidge. I'd give the nod to Louisville as it stands, especially with a much more veteran QB throwing to them, but it shouldn't be too surprising to see our corp mentioned as one of the best right now. End of the season? Not likely. Right now? Sure.


EDIT: Almost forgot about Hawaii. Not sure who they have coming back besides Bess, though. If it's all of them, if you want to look purely at statistics, given the system that they play in you could probably combine two teams and still not come close.

[arfer0384]

I think Bowman should be higher than #9. He'll contend for the Biletnikoff this year.

[Icness]

There's not a better collegiate WR than Manningham, zero. He might not be the best NFL prospect of the lot, but he's as good as any college WR since Keyshawn Johnson. When he's healthy.

Glad to see Douglas made their list. He's got a lot of Anthony Gonzalez in him, plus he's an outstanding downfield blocker.

[treyZz]

Aurelius Benn will be a top 10 WR in College when this season is finished.

He's about to blow up.

[sp1187]

*cough* Percy Harvin *cough*

^^

Also Bubba Caldwell is also one of the best WR's and most underrated in the country.