2013 Northwestern Football Preview: The Wide Receivers.

Last year, high expectations were placed upon the Northwestern wide receiving corps. Some even expected the 'Cats to have one of the top receiving units in the Big Ten. Unfortunately, they did not come close to living up to these (admittedly unreasonable) expectations. Part of this was obviously due to Northwestern being a heavily run-oriented team, but even in passing situations the receivers did not look exceptional. Perhaps a greater issue was the loss of wide receiver coach Kevin Johns to Indiana after the 2010 season. The unit has not looked the same since. With Coach Dennis Springer entering his third year as wide receiver coach, hopefully we're due for some improvement.

Last Year

Demetrius Fields: Fields, a senior last year, was expected to be the leader of this unit. While his leadership skills were there, production did not live up to expectations. He saw a regression from his junior year, catching only 2.5 passes per game for 304 yards (9.24 yrds/rec) and one touchdown. He finished only 4th on the team in total receiving yards. Despite his relative struggles, Fields has found a spot (for the time being, at least) on the roster of the St. Louis Rams. 

Christian Jones: After showing promise in 2011 as a true freshman, Jones stepped up big in 2012, leading the team in receptions (35), receiving yardage (412) , and yards per catch (11.77), while also contributing 2 TDs. He's an athletic guy, and at 6-2 and 225 lbs, an imposing force. 

Tony Jones: After redshirting in 2011 due to a knee injury, he filled the role of Northwestern's deep threat last season. The speedster led the team in receiving touchdowns, with 4. He also finished second in yards and yards per catch, while finishing fourth in receptions. 

Rashad Lawrence: Lawrence had the most impact of his career last year, as a junior. He finished second on the teams in receptions, with 34, while finishing third in yardage, with 321. Interestingly, however, he never managed to get into the endzone. Most of Lawrence's touches came while Trevor Siemian was on the field, as the two were high school teammates, and had a clear rapport. 

Kyle Prater: Prater is an anomaly. He once once considered a can't-miss prospect coming out of high school, resulting in him being a consensus 5-star recruit, and signing with the USC Trojans. Suffering from injuries, he redshirted in 2010 and had virtually no impact in 2011, catching only one pass for 6 yards. After 2011, he decided to transfer closer to home, and eventually decided on Northwestern. Granted a waiver by the NCAA, he was allowed to play last year as a sophomore. As a result, Wildcat Nation went crazy, and expected huge things out of him. However, it is safe to say he did not live up to the hype. He looked lost running routes and only managed 10 catches for 54 yards, failing to ever get into the endzone. He was often used more as a blocker than a receiver, but his 6-5 frame was useful in that regard. 

Kain Colter: If you're knew to Wildcat football, you should be very confused right now. No, this is not a different "Kain Colter" than the quarterback I profiled earlier; he simply will occasionally line up at receiver when not at quarterback. He started doing this in 2011, when he caught 43 passes (as a reference point, that's more than any NU receiver from last year managed) for 458 yards and 3 touchdowns. His usage at WR was down significantly last year, but not gone, as he still managed 16 catches for 169 yards, but he never got a touchdown catch. 

The Rest: Cameron Dickerson had a small role as a redshirt freshman, catching 9 passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. As a redshirt junior last year, Mike Jensen was loved by coaches due to his work ethic, but was hampered by injuries and caught only 2 passes for 21 yards. Pierre Youngblood-Ary was a talented-looking freshman, but caught only one pass on the year. 

This Year

Many players' roles will remain virtually unchanged. Expect the Joneses to again be the most heavily-featured receivers. Tony Jones is expected to again be the starting split-back (the receiver lined up furthest from the center), which Christian Jones will likely take a more versatile role, allowing him to be placed on various parts of the field as a sort of flex-back. Rashad Lawrence should also see substantial time on the field, typically on the opposite end of the field from Tony. In four-receiver sets, the fourth starter is, at the moment, somewhat up in the air. My money is on Kyle Prater playing in a slot position, putting him in a position to showcase his blocking. I do not expect him to live up to initial expectations, but I would be surprised if he does not play a bigger role in the passing game this year, particularly in the red zone. 

While the aforementioned guys are expected to start, Northwestern utilizes a heavy rotation at the receiver position, and other players should see plenty of snaps. Youngblood-Ary, Dickerson, and Jensen should all seefairly substantial time, and I would not be terribly surprised if Dickerson snags a starting role. Beyond this, there are a lot of young guys on the roster who may one day be big contributors, but don't expect much out of them this year.

Is this an improvement? 

I have to assume it is. Demetrius Fields and his valuable leadership are gone, but that is the only loss in this unit. And I've said it before and I'll say it again: Experience is very important. This unit has another offseason of work under its belt, and there's a lot of talent to like here.