Mickey Plyler's Blog for June 6 |
864-834-6060 Thank you for being a Tiger Source member. Mickey's blog will be released to Tiger Source members first. ACC Wide Receiver Rankings This is not a banner year for wide receivers in the ACC. Unlike the running back position, the wide outs are not as deep and should only be considered a strength for six or seven teams. 1. Clemson Chansi Stuckey (6-0, 190,Sr) 64-770-4 Aaron Kelly (6-5, 185, So) 47-575-2 Rendrick Taylor (6-1, 225, So) 9-69-0 Tyler Grisham (5-10, 175, So) 10-101-0 Jacoby Ford (5-9, 175, Fr) LaDonte Harris (5-11, 185, Jr) 6-52-1 Andrew Diamonde (6-11, 205, So) 1-15-0 For complete Clemson wide receiver coverage see our blog from yesterday. 2. Virginia Tech David Clowney (6-1, 175, Sr) 34-619-3 Josh Morgan (6-1, 215, Jr) 28-471-4 Eddie Royal (5-10, 170, Jr) 27-315-2 Justin Harper (6-3, 210, Jr) 16-295-1 Josh Hyman (5-11, 190, Jr) 13-195-0 This is the strength of the Virginia Tech squad in 2006. This group is very deep and talented and also is very experienced. There is not a superstar in the group but they five or six deep and not lose a lot of ability. 3. Virginia Deyon Williams (6-3, 185, Sr) 58-767-7 Fontel Mines (6-4, 215, Sr) 28-345-2 Emmanuel Byers (5-9, 185, Jr) 21-219-0 Andrew Pearman (5-10, 165, So) Maurice Covington (6-4, 212, So) 5-60-0 Kevin Ogletree (6-4, 185, So) 7-27-0 The Cavs don’t have a lot of talent at running back so it could be a big year for this talented group. Like many UVA teams these receivers are tall and rangy. Williams is the best of the group. He is hoping to build off of the great junior season. Mines is a typical jump ball-type receiver and one of four receivers over 6-4. 4. Georgia Tech Calvin Johnson (6-4, 235, Jr) 54-888-6 James Johnson (6-0, 190, So) 14-185-2 Chris Dunlap (5-11, 200, Sr) 2-22-0 Xavier McGuire (6-4, 215, Sr) 2-6-0 Calvin Johnson is the best the league has seen in years. There are few receivers that have no weaknesses but that can be said about Johnson. He has the size, speed, hands, open field ability, strength and any thing a receiver needs. Johnson is one of the top three receivers in the nation. The supporting cast is solid. 5. Florida State Greg Carr (6-6, 200, So) 30-618-9 Chris Davis (6-0, 180, Sr) 51-666-5 De’Cody Fagg (6-3, 220, Jr) 35-404-1 Joslin Shaw (5-10, 180, Jr) 8-93-0 Richard Goodman (6-0, 180, So) 4-30-0 Kenny O’Neal (6-1, 195, So) 5-110-0 Rod Owens (6-0, 170, So) 9-113-1 Carr gave this group a huge lift last year. He is one of the best looking wide outs in the country and if he can continue to develop he could leave Tallahassee with a few records. Davis had a nice junior season and is more of the open field guy. Fagg has battled injuries. The staff liked O’Neal and Owens but kicked off Fred Rouse after a disappointing freshman season. 6. Miami Lance Leggett (6-3, 185, Jr) 15-204-2 Ryan Moore (6-3, 215, Sr) 28-464-4 Darnell Jenkins (5-10, 180, Sr) 25-242-2 Khalil Jones 96-2, 208, So) 2-30-0 The Canes are a talented group but you could have never guessed it by watching them last year. They were inconsistent and had numerous drops. All of the wide outs came out of high school highly rated but none have lived up to their reputation. Leggett lacked focus last season but he is the most talented of the group. Moore was a high school All-American but has not come close to repeating it in college. 7. NC State John Dunlap (6-2, 210, Jr) 4-41-0 Lamart Barrett (6-1, 190, Sr) 21-248-0 Darrell Blackman (5-10, 210, Jr) 15-151-1 Geron James (6-4, 185, Fr) 2-14-1 A couple of years ago NC State had terrific receivers but they have dropped off with this group. Dunlap had a huge freshman year but injuries and inconsistency hurt last season. Blackman is a former running back with good receiving skills. Barrett is solid but is not a difference maker. 8. North Carolina Jesse Holley (6-3, 208, Sr) 47-670-1 Brandon Tate (6-1, 195, So) Brooks Foster (6-3, 200, So) Kenton Thornton (6-5, 225, Fr) Hakeem Nicks (6-1, 210, Fr) Deunta Williams (6-3, 195, Fr) The Tar Heels have only one wide receiver coming back that actually caught a pass last season. Holley enjoyed a good junior season but will have to lead a young group. The UNC staff feels like there is talent in this corps but no experience. 9. Duke Jomar Wright (6-1, 200, Jr) 8-155-1 Eron Riley (6-3, 185, So) 11-247-2 Ronnie Drummer (5-9, 175, Jr) 7-19-0 Deon Adams (6-1, 190, So) 10-100-0 Wright would have had a bigger year but missed the last half of the season with a knee injury. Riley is a terrific looking prospect with a big upside. Drummer is slot back with good speed. 10. Wake Forest Nate Morton (6-3, 215, Sr) 39-482-2 Kevin Marion (5-10, 160, Jr) 3-67-1 Willie Idelette (5-10, 175, Sr) 10-86-0 Demir Boldin (5-11, 220, So) 15-224-0 The Deacs do not have great wide outs and that is a good thing. Morton is a possession guy who had decent year. Idelette came out of high school with high aspirations but needs to have a big year to live up to his billings. This is an area of concern form Jim Grobe. 11. Boston College Tony Gonzalez (5-11, 190, Sr) 28-414-5 Kevin Challenger (5-9, 177, Jr) 16-184-1 Brandon Robinson (5-11, 190, So) 7-94-1 Taylor Sele (6-0, 203, Sr) 14-142-0 The Eagles lost their top two threats from 2005 and little is left. Gonzalez is dependable. Robinson runs better than the rest of the group. If Matt Ryan is going to repeat his 2006 campaign then he will need some of the younger players to step up. 12. Maryland Drew Weatherly (6-4, 210, Sr) 10-83-1 Darrius Heyward-Bey (6-3, 195, Fr) Isaiah Williams (6-3, 200, So) 1-4-0 Danny Oquendo (6-3, 175, So) 3-20-0 Terrell Skinner (6-3, 190, Fr) The Terps were hit hard by graduation and this group has a bunch of guys that have little experience. The staff feels like they have recruited pretty well here but time will tell. This is a considerable weakness on this team. U.S. Open I know everyone is crazy about Phil Mickelson but there is a bigger story out there next week at Winged Foot. Tiger Woods has not played since the Masters and is now an underdog. Woods has not played recently because of his father’s battle with cancer that he lost a few weeks ago. I would love to see Tiger Woods raise the U.S. Open trophy in victory on Father’s Day. In summary, the ACC features few teams that feel their wide outs are a true strength. There is also a bunch of guys that are coming back from injury. Please excuse the typos and grammar. Also, please visit our sponsors, Mr. Knickerbockers, George Coleman Ford and Brad Hughes Allstate Agency. It is there patronage that keeps the blog free. If you are interested in great advertising opportunities on the blog contact me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com. Our motto remains, “Since the blog is free, at least you get your money’s worth.Mickey's new Blog brought to you by:
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