Nuke was by far the best wide receiver on this team last year. He led the team in receiving yardage with 626 yards. He progressively got better as the season went along. He was the only receiver during spring practice that solidified his hold on the starting job. I can see Hopkins becoming a much more polished receiver this year and easily be Clemson's first thousand yard receiver since Aaron Kelly.
Brown was inconsistent last year and throughout spring practice. He will have to fight to hold off two incoming freshmen that, in my opinion, could easily win this job if it was based on pure talent alone. Brown is talented, but his real hold on the job is because of his knowledge of the offense and experience.
Brandon Ford was relatively quiet until halfway through last year. He had the long catch against Maryland that was called back, but it showcased his great hands and ability to adjust to the ball in the air. He was fairly consistent after that game, giving Dwayne Allen some time to breath. His breakout game was the bowl game, when he had two late touchdown catches to put Clemson back in the game. He will be lining up at TE some, while moving out to receiver at other times in Chad Morris' offense.
When I said that Hopkins was the best wide receiver on the team, that did not include tight end. Allen was good last year but not great. He had his moments, but to his credit, he spent alot of time double teamed after the Auburn game when everyone realized that we literally had no receiving threat other than Allen. The upcoming of Nuke Hopkins and Brandon Ford, with the addition of the three freshmen should make him look more like the receiver he is and give him a little more room to work.
The Other Guys:
I have based all this on the depth chart going into summer practice. This is not the way I envision the playing field later in the year. I think that Sammy Watkins will definitely get alot of playing time this year, lining up in the slot, on the outside, in the backfield, and possibly even as a wildcat QB. Charone Peake and Martavis Bryant will give Clemson the deep threats that Morris needs to throw his 12+ deep balls a game. Marquan Jones looked decent in the Spring Game, but did not get a starting job and I do not expect him to be any more consistent than he has been throughout his past three years. Bryce McNeal talked a big game throughout the spring, but has not been able to get his weight past 180. Bryce could be a great one should he add a little more size. At tight end, we can't forget Eric Maclain or Sam Cooper. McClain has the potential to be great, as he has drawn comparisons to Dallas Cowboy's TE, Jason Witten. I expect him to get playing time giving Allen breathers this year. Cooper had a good spring and may also see playing time this year.
All in all, I see Hopkins, Peake, and Watkins starting at the receiver positions by the end of the year. The pure talent level should push them to the top once they have gotten a handle on this offense. They are more physical, & possess more speed. I believe Allen, Ford, and Maclain will all contribute with the influx of new receivers lightening the load on the tight ends. This unit should be much improved!
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| Sammy Watkins |
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| Eric Maclain |
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| Charone Peake |
Watkins, bryant and peake should start pretty quickly. Brown, jones and mcneal have done nothing to impress me. Brown had his moments and has the best shot at keeping his starting role. Nuke will keep his spot. I think in the first two games that the freshmen wr's should see a lot of playing time bc they are basically tune up games. The real test comes in the next 3 games where some experience and execution will be vital. Clemson has to beat auburn bc as we clemson fans know all too well that a loss there will cost us the next 2.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, those games are "must wins"! Brown does have a good shot at keeping his job, but I am hoping that Peake or Bryant comes in and plays "lights out!"
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