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WR's
The receiver position is one of the deepest as far as talent is concerned in the SEC going into 2014 and that's after losing guys like Mike Evans, Odell Beckham, Jordan Matthews and Jarvis Landry.
With the offenses gaining momentum and explosiveness in the SEC I look to see the wide receiver position to be wide open for this upcoming class with the amount of depth and talent. Defenses have been warned...get your mind right!
*note: DGB would have been our solid No. 1 overall but due to the circumstances we had to remove him from the list.
Here are your Top 5 SEC Receivers:
5. Marquez North, Tennessee(SO)
4. Sammy Coates, Auburn(JR)
3. Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss(SO)
2. Amari Cooper, Alabama(JR)
1. Jameon Lewis, Mississippi State(SR)
At 6-4 and 221 pounds North is an All-SEC type receiver who can challenge even the most talented secondary in the league....don't believe us? Then ask Cam Sutton(CB), 2013 All-SEC Freshman, of the Vol's who got torched for a 50 yard TD by North in the UT spring game. North didn't get the yardage some of the other guys did on this list and most of that is due to the inconsistent quarterback play we saw in 2013. North cought 38 passes for 496 yards total, averaged 3.5 receptions per game and averaged 45.1 yards per game last season. Look for North to seperate himself from the pack in 2014.
Sammy is as talented as any receiver on this list, or in the country for that matter, but with Malzahn's game plan focusing so much around the run game Sammy's numbers won't
be stellar in 2014. That said, he still averaged 21.5 yards per catch!! Keep in mind that average is ridiculous after noting that he caught 42 catches that tallied up to 902 yards in 2013. Basically all Coates needs are more touches and that is going to rely on the arm of Marshall.
Treadwell has the most upside to him out of any receivers on this list....bar none. As a freshman he lead the Rebels with 72 catches for 608 yards and five touchdowns. His ability to blow up in 2014, much like Sammy, will depend on the quarterback play.
Cooper, despite injury, was still able to put up some decent numbers catching 45 passes for 736 yards and four touchdowns. His 2013 performance wasn't what Tide fans were expecting after he managed to record 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns in his 2012 freshman campaign but look for him to return to his explosive self in 2014. His performance under Kiffin should drastically increase but will mostly depend on who gets the nod; Sims or Coker.
Jameon Lewis is the silent assassin out of this list and probably the SEC's biggest secret. Lewis is so talented that he managed to score touchdowns in three different ways for the Bulldogs in two different games by rushing, passing and receiving. In his 2013 campaign we saw him catch 64 passes for 923 yards and 13 touchdowns, while rushing for 117 yards and three more touchdowns! To top that off the young man threw three touchdowns! This kid is a renaissance football player...defenses have been warned.
The former No. 1 pick on this list should come as no surprise as he was one of the top breakouts in 2013. Beckham would have been the lead for the receiving corps coming in 2014. To be considered for the draft come next year hell need to hire a great PR guy and stay clean. It is possible for him to still enter the draft in 2015 but he will not be able to enter the supplemental draft since he isnt 3 years removed from college.
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