Advertisement
football Edit

Post-spring positional analysis: Wide receiver

With 15 practices done and dusted and spring practice officially over, it’s time to take a look at how each position group fared.

With new coaches and the first set of spring practices in two years, this year provided players an opportunity to move up the depth chart and create strong first impressions.

Next up, the wide receivers.

Receiver Kobe Hudson during practice.
Receiver Kobe Hudson during practice. (Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics)
Advertisement

The wide receivers have a long ways to go, as showcased on A-Day.

Not only are the top three of Seth Williams, Eli Stove and Anthony Schwartz gone, but the group is tasked with learning the new offense. A much more complex offense, especially for the wide receivers who are tasked with learning more detailed routes.

Along with the players who departed for the NFL, Ze’Vian Capers, Shedrick Jackson and J.J. Evans were limited for spring practice.

On A-Day, it was just Kobe Hudson, Elijah Canion, Ja’Varrius Johnson and Malcolm Johnson Jr. as the main contributors.

Canion caught six passes for 51 yards and a touchdown, but outside of that, no one particularly stuck out.

“But we had some opportunities where we run the right route, put ourselves in the right position, I think we’re going to have a better play,” Bryan Harsin said after A-Day. “So those are the things — and everybody makes the mistakes, they make the mental errors, we’re going to have some of those that come up — we need to be more consistent at that position and I think right now we’re going to be going through focusing on that as we get into summer time.

“So between now and when those guys come back in June there’s going to have to be a lot of work done from those guys of just understanding and just really seeing a lot of the things we can improve on and just doing that from the entire summer and through fall camp and continuing that through the season. The wide receivers are asked to do a lot. You see them moving around, they’re in different positions, different alignments. So they have to study, they have to prepare, they have to be students of the game to do what we’re asking them to do.”

While Johnson was the talk of spring from Mike Bobo, Harsin and Cornelius Williams, he had just two catches for 15 yards.

It was tough to get a full grasp on what the receiver's room looks like with three players injured, but it was clear that they’ve got work to do.

Wide receiver remains a position that Auburn could look to add a veteran from the transfer portal.

Depth Chart

X/Split End

1 — Elijah Canion

2 — Caylin Newton

3 — Trent Mason

H/Slot

1 — Ja'Varrius Johnson

2 — Malcolm Johnson Jr.

Z/Flanker

1 — Kobe Hudson

2 — Malcolm Johnson Jr.

Injured: Shedrick Jackson (H/Slot), Ze'Vian Capers (X/Split End) and J.J. Evans (Z/Flanker)

NOT A MEMBER?

JOIN AUBURNSPORTS.COM TODAY to enjoy around-the-clock content including stories, analysis, videos, podcasts, call-in shows and The Greatest Message Board In The History of The Internet.

Advertisement