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Wide Receiver: The Missing Piece?

  • Wide receivers are becoming a much bigger piece of both the college and pro game, especially with the emergence of the spread in college, and the emphasis of the passing game in the NFL. Much like the new breed of tight ends, the large, speedy recievers can cause mismatch problems for even the best cornerback, and most of the time will require over-the-top help from the safety, thus creating mismatch problems on other areas of the field. X and Z receivers are becoming more diverse in the passing game, often having the ability to line up wide or even in the slot(where they are often matched up with the defenses nickle back).

    Penn State has not exactly been "wide reciever U". Over the last decade we have seen nice prospects like Derek Moye, Justin Brown, Derrick Williams, Jordan Norwood, Deon Butler, Terell Golden and Shawnee Kersey, but we have been known almost just as much for our misses and failures at the position, including, but not limited to Deon Walker, Vidal Hazleton, and Robert Foster(looks like we will miss out on him this year). Our highest wide reciever recruit in the last decade of the paterno era was Chris Bell, and we all know how that ended up.

    Our most productive wide receivers have been 6' or under; this in a time where the larger receiver has ruled the nest. Our fastest receiver(Deon Butler) again was under 6' tall. In contrast, the fastest time amongst wide receivers in the 2012 scouting combine was turned in by GT's Stephen Hill, who at 6'5" 206 lbs, clocked a 4.36 40.

    The alarming statistic that stood out to me most during the last decade of the Paterno era was in recruting. From 2002 to 2011 we signed 20 wide receiver recruits. Compare this to 15 signed running backs, and 24 signed linebackers. 2009 drastically skews this number, as that class saw us sign 5 wide receivers. Of those 5, Devon Smith has since been kicked off the team, and Christian Kuntz and Brandon Moseby-Felder are buried on the depth chart. Our 10 year average saw 2 wide receivers signed per class, and only 4 of these 20 prospects were ranked 4 stars or higher(one being Chris Bell). I know what your going so say here: Star rankings don't mean crap(look at Norwood, and Butler), but good luck trying to tell this to USC, Oklahoma, LSU and Alabama.

    In a day-in-age where four WR sets are becoming more and more prevalent, my hope is that O'Brien and co. really focus their efforts of getting in some play-making wideouts. Losing Robert Foster from our own back yard surely hurts, but adding a few prospects between Tyler Boyd, Paul Harris, Brian Lemelle, and Tyler Carmona(if he gets an offer), to go along with Will Fuller, can go a long way in helping shape the new culture that in Penn State football.

    Happy 4th of July to all! May July start off with a BANG in recruting!

    "A bowl game ain't nothing but a vacation." - Gerald Hodges

    PSUHomer

  • To be honest with you, getting quality recruits at wide receiver is one of my least concerns when you have a combination of Hixon and O'Brien.

    I'm concerned about the secondary where we are razor thin and seem to have only a few pokers in the fire. The previous coaching staff has created a mindset among recruits (and rightfully so) that PSU doesn't create NFL quality DB's particularly CB's. The current coaching staff is going to have to really convince these recruits that they'll be playing more man to man similar to what the pro's use.

    lion95 ●

  • There is a new sheriff in town and most think the passing game at Penn State might make it to the 21st century. With the team effort by all coaches to recruit and once the season starts I believe the skeptical wide receiver prospects may give PSU a closer look.

    danmcc

  • Bryant Johnson was a first round pick. Not alot of schools have had first round picks at reciever the last ten years. While we havent had any stud, cant miss prospects we have had decent receivers.

    NevadaNittany ●

  • danmcc said...

    There is a new sheriff in town and most think the passing game at Penn State might make it to the 21st century. With the team effort by all coaches to recruit and once the season starts I believe the skeptical wide receiver prospects may give PSU a closer look.

    Agreed. I don't think there's any denying that our offense is going to move out of the archaic 1970s style that we've run the past few years. We will be full throttle in the 21st century with a fully diversified offensive attack.

    signature image

    PSUjosh11

  • lion95 said...

    To be honest with you, getting quality recruits at wide receiver is one of my least concerns when you have a combination of Hixon and O'Brien.

    I'm concerned about the secondary where we are razor thin and seem to have only a few pokers in the fire. The previous coaching staff has created a mindset among recruits (and rightfully so) that PSU doesn't create NFL quality DB's particularly CB's. The current coaching staff is going to have to really convince these recruits that they'll be playing more man to man similar to what the pro's use.

    I'm with you on DB's, but I honestly think you can say the same about WR's. We have not had any WR's in the last 10 years really make any noise at the next level, and to a top-flight recruit, they may see this as an issue. My hope is that O'Brien's offense will start to get some notice, and then start getting the attention of some more high-profile recruits at WR. I feel this is the new direction college football(and the NFL for that matter too)is taking(ie. big, fast, mis-match nightmare wideouts and TE's).

    I look at the 3 things on offense that can really help a QB mature as a player: 1) a good o-line. 2) a solid running game. 3) a go-to stud wideout. We have had 2 or the 3 here(our o-line has surely experienced it's share of ups and downs though), but we have really been lacking in that go-to WR.

    "A bowl game ain't nothing but a vacation." - Gerald Hodges

    PSUHomer

  • NevadaNittany said...

    Bryant Johnson was a first round pick. Not alot of schools have had first round picks at reciever the last ten years. While we havent had any stud, cant miss prospects we have had decent receivers.

    This is kind of the point................................."decent". We have had decent, but far from great. Bryant Johnson is a good example, but he never even came close to living up to his draft position. He also represents one recent prospect. Just as a comparison, look at the WR's Pitt has brought in. They always seem to have a below average QB.........why would a top WR recruit want to go to Pitt?

    Again, I'm just viewing WR as something we have been severely missing for the last decade.

    It would be nice to finally attract a stud WR, and I can't figure out why the top guys from our traditional recruting areas seem to shy away from Penn State. Foster is a great example. New staff, new program - prob one that will focus a hell of a lot on the passing game. We have an inovative offensive mind, we have recruited a top calibur QB, we are pulling in some great linemen to go along with some young linemen we already have, and we have the best TE in the country already comitted to us. Why is Foster turning his back on us? I see this as a problem, and it's been going on for over a decade.

    This post was edited by PSUHomer on 7/4/2012 at 9:23 AM

    "A bowl game ain't nothing but a vacation." - Gerald Hodges

    PSUHomer

  • Eugene Lewis last year, Belton the year before, Justin Brown in 09. All very highly regarded WR prospects. It's not like our recruiting area is overloaded with top tier talent at the position. And the team itself has been at least solid at the position since 2005. To say WR is something we have been severely missing..... don't see it. Can BOB do better, sure, but I don't have a big problem with recent recruiting or performance on the field.

    gemrich ●

  • PSUHomer said...

    It would be nice to finally attract a stud WR, and I can't figure out why the top guys from our traditional recruting areas seem to shy away from Penn State. Foster is a great example. New staff, new program - prob one that will focus a hell of a lot on the passing game. We have an inovative offensive mind, we have recruited a top calibur QB, we are pulling in some great linemen to go along with some young linemen we already have, and we have the best TE in the country already comitted to us. Why is Foster turning his back on us? I see this as a problem, and it's been going on for over a decade.

    Outside of disagreeing with most of your OP, this to me is just a duh.

    HE'S NEVER COACHED A DAMN GAME. EVER.

    Jesus, he was the OC of the Patriots which many people know have had an issue with turning into HCs in the past, they've never really seen him coach anywhere, and their coaches don't have a relationship with the school. Every one of our reccruits I love for the simple fact that they are taking a risk with a rookie HC.

    Btw, this is college football. I don't care how they do in the pros that's their problems. If anything the spread formations have deceased the need of skilled WRs (route running especially). Scheme is dominating that. I would also say the TE has grown in im,portance over the WR in the last 5-10 years.

    Homer for sure.

    MTayl72 ●

  • Don't really need a Calvin Johnson-esque wide receiver in college. Would it be nice? Sure. Not necessary, though.

    As far as Foster goes, he seems to like flashy schools, and PSU is not one of them. Just how it is sometimes, especially with kids who play a flashy position like WR.

    IMO, wide receiver is one of those positions where you don't need that stud guy. It's not hard to find several WR's who complement each other well. Get a possession guy, a speed guy, and a shifty slot receiver and you should be fine.

    signature image

    psubills62 ●

  • Butler and Norwood were special players. Great heart. Love those guys.

    jcarlisle14

  • PSUHomer said...

    Our highest wide reciever recruit in the last decade of the paterno era was Chris Bell

    DWill was arguably the best prospect in the country...

    signature image

    #DicedPineapples

    shavisimo2 ●

  • psubills62 said...

    Don't really need a Calvin Johnson-esque wide receiver in college. Would it be nice? Sure. Not necessary, though.

    As far as Foster goes, he seems to like flashy schools, and PSU is not one of them. Just how it is sometimes, especially with kids who play a flashy position like WR.

    IMO, wide receiver is one of those positions where you don't need that stud guy. It's not hard to find several WR's who complement each other well. Get a possession guy, a speed guy, and a shifty slot receiver and you should be fine.

    Great post, bills.

    I want to increase the talent level at WR for sure. I would never argue that, it has to increase.

    Quick, who was the last WR who dominated so much he led his team to be truly elite (Good bye Larry Fitzgerald).The guy that made the QB good (Calvin Johnson couldn't even do that). Not scheme-based (good bye Michael Crabtree). Not some slash player (Percy Harvin).

    You don't win championships because of your dominating WR, they are just pieces. Quarterback, OL, agressive and stifling defense.

    MTayl72 ●

  • Fair enough and I am not overstating the importance of the WR, but it would be GREAT to have some one like DeVier Posey on the team. He isn't Calvin Johnson elite, but the number of times he's bailed out the Bucks with long TDs and 1st down converts is fantastic. And I think that's what the OP is alluding to in a round-about sort of way.

    avs117

  • Physical specimens like Calvin Johnson and Julio Jones are rare. That's what makes them special. WR's are more often the product of their offensive system than the driving force behind them. Look at the Patriots and the Saints in the NFL and teams like Houston in college. They don't have dominant receivers but do plenty fine slinging the ball around.

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    “We need to keep this (expletive) together,” Mauti and Zordich to Hill

    psujmc1992

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    PSUJIM85

  • MTayl72 said...

    Great post, bills.

    I want to increase the talent level at WR for sure. I would never argue that, it has to increase.

    Quick, who was the last WR who dominated so much he led his team to be truly elite (Good bye Larry Fitzgerald).The guy that made the QB good (Calvin Johnson couldn't even do that). Not scheme-based (good bye Michael Crabtree). Not some slash player (Percy Harvin).

    You don't win championships because of your dominating WR, they are just pieces. Quarterback, OL, agressive and stifling defense.

    Agree with you and Bills. PSU has had decent receivers, but not a top tier QB. Not to knock Robinson and Clark they did a fine job, but not top tier IMO.

    NittnyLion14 ●

  • lion95 said...

    To be honest with you, getting quality recruits at wide receiver is one of my least concerns when you have a combination of Hixon and O'Brien.

    I'm concerned about the secondary where we are razor thin and seem to have only a few pokers in the fire. The previous coaching staff has created a mindset among recruits (and rightfully so) that PSU doesn't create NFL quality DB's particularly CB's. The current coaching staff is going to have to really convince these recruits that they'll be playing more man to man similar to what the pro's use.

    Agree with your first statement. If our previous staff had a CLUE or at least an INTEREST in getting our best athletes the ball in space, no one would be complaining about our recent WR recruiting. More than 2 WR sets outside the DWill/Butler/Norwood years would have been nice as well - since we and everyone else knew the TE wasn't going to be used.

    I assume that you mean that the pros use more man to man than TB's defenses did. If so, then I agree. But there's not a ton of man used in the pros either. Almost every team has a guy that simply can't be checked provided the QB has more than 1.5 sec to deliver the ball. I don't care if your name is Revis or Asomugha, it's not happening. That said, I'm looking forward to a little press coverage every once in a while out of Roof's D.

    beck881psu ●

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    PennStateFan33

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    MTayl72 ●

  • PSUHomer said...

    This is kind of the point................................."decent". We have had decent, but far from great. Bryant Johnson is a good example, but he never even came close to living up to his draft position. He also represents one recent prospect. Just as a comparison, look at the WR's Pitt has brought in. They always seem to have a below average QB.........why would a top WR recruit want to go to Pitt?

    Again, I'm just viewing WR as something we have been severely missing for the last decade.

    It would be nice to finally attract a stud WR, and I can't figure out why the top guys from our traditional recruting areas seem to shy away from Penn State. Foster is a great example. New staff, new program - prob one that will focus a hell of a lot on the passing game. We have an inovative offensive mind, we have recruited a top calibur QB, we are pulling in some great linemen to go along with some young linemen we already have, and we have the best TE in the country already comitted to us. Why is Foster turning his back on us? I see this as a problem, and it's been going on for over a decade.

    I agree, I would love a big, fast, strong receiver. Hopefully that will change soon.

    NevadaNittany ●

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    signature image

    psubills62 ●

  • PSUHomer said...

    Wide receivers are becoming a much bigger piece of both the college and pro game, especially with the emergence of the spread in college, and the emphasis of the passing game in the NFL. Much like the new breed of tight ends, the large, speedy recievers can cause mismatch problems for even the best cornerback, and most of the time will require over-the-top help from the safety, thus creating mismatch problems on other areas of the field. X and Z receivers are becoming more diverse in the passing game, often having the ability to line up wide or even in the slot(where they are often matched up with the defenses nickle back).

    Penn State has not exactly been "wide reciever U". Over the last decade we have seen nice prospects like Derek Moye, Justin Brown, Derrick Williams, Jordan Norwood, Deon Butler, Terell Golden and Shawnee Kersey, but we have been known almost just as much for our misses and failures at the position, including, but not limited to Deon Walker, Vidal Hazleton, and Robert Foster(looks like we will miss out on him this year). Our highest wide reciever recruit in the last decade of the paterno era was Chris Bell, and we all know how that ended up.

    Our most productive wide receivers have been 6' or under; this in a time where the larger receiver has ruled the nest. Our fastest receiver(Deon Butler) again was under 6' tall. In contrast, the fastest time amongst wide receivers in the 2012 scouting combine was turned in by GT's Stephen Hill, who at 6'5" 206 lbs, clocked a 4.36 40.

    The alarming statistic that stood out to me most during the last decade of the Paterno era was in recruting. From 2002 to 2011 we signed 20 wide receiver recruits. Compare this to 15 signed running backs, and 24 signed linebackers. 2009 drastically skews this number, as that class saw us sign 5 wide receivers. Of those 5, Devon Smith has since been kicked off the team, and Christian Kuntz and Brandon Moseby-Felder are buried on the depth chart. Our 10 year average saw 2 wide receivers signed per class, and only 4 of these 20 prospects were ranked 4 stars or higher(one being Chris Bell). I know what your going so say here: Star rankings don't mean crap(look at Norwood, and Butler), but good luck trying to tell this to USC, Oklahoma, LSU and Alabama.

    In a day-in-age where four WR sets are becoming more and more prevalent, my hope is that O'Brien and co. really focus their efforts of getting in some play-making wideouts. Losing Robert Foster from our own back yard surely hurts, but adding a few prospects between Tyler Boyd, Paul Harris, Brian Lemelle, and Tyler Carmona(if he gets an offer), to go along with Will Fuller, can go a long way in helping shape the new culture that in Penn State football.

    Happy 4th of July to all! May July start off with a BANG in recruting!

    I agree with your analysis, but there is a deeper "meaning" at work here.

    Since the last truly potent offensive team (I'd go with 94'.....05' was an quirk and was orchestrated by an excellent athlete, M Rob, not a planned scheme), was almost 20 years ago.

    Joe's scheme was a run first, pass only when necessary to back folks off the line, heavy in play action,screen draw power attack. He truly ran a Junior HS passing scheme BY CHOICE.

    This scheme was neither attractive for HS elite receiver recruits, nor was it likely to give them a chance to amass elite stats...regardless of their talent level. Add to this scheme the fact that Joe wanted a "team leader" first and an athlete second for QB...and PSU was NOT an attractive destination for QB's either.

    Average ( skill wise) QBS and less than elite athletes at WR leads to a reality that we didn't have the tools or coaches to run an elite quality passing attack.

    OB is a very different coach in that his priorities are CLEARLY to create a pro style potent offense that is QB centered. I predict he WILL attract elite receivers as soon as folks see what he is running and how he is running his attack.

    My only concern is that he KEEPS the PSU focus on defense as the real difference between a great winning team and a flashy looser.

    FLY

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    MTayl72 ●

  • PSUHomer said...

    . . . but we have been known almost just as much for our misses and failures at the position, including, but not limited to Deon Walker, Vidal Hazleton, and Robert Foster(looks like we will miss out on him this year).

    LOL!! You seem upset over failures to get Walker and Hazelton when they didn't do squat in college, while a walk-on like Deon Butler and a 2 star recruit like Jordan Norwood have more productive careers in college and the NFL than either of those two.

    FYI -- Hazelton was a UFA to the NFL who hasn't played; Walker has transferred to UMass after playing in just 7 games and making 1 catch at ND

    jetli

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