Who will lead the team in catches?

[NUCat320]

JJTBC is the leading returning receiver. If you were putting odds on it, I guess he'd be the favorite.

Based on the lack of experience among the true wide receivers, I don't even have a guess who it might be. Carr would be most likely, just by virtue of his limited experience with CT, but I would guess Vault leads among non-JJTBCs

My guess, based on nothing:
Jackson
Vault
Roberts
Carr
Dickerson
McShepherd
Green
Long

Nobody else with more than ten.

The lack of receivers experience remains shocking. Bad luck, bad offers, bad misses, I guess.

Lots on JJ (and WML) this season...

 

[Overly_Invested_Cat]

Here's my guess of the top 12....

1. Justin Jackson
2. Flynn Nagel
3. Marcus McShephard
4. Solomon Vault
5. Austin Carr
6. Garrett Dickerson
7. Jayme Taylor
8. Jelani Roberts
9. Warren Long
10. Andrew Scanlan
11. Ramaud Chiaokhia-Bowman
12. Charlie Fessler

I also like Ben Skowronek and Riley Lees.

 

[DaCat]

1. Carr
2. Nagel
3. Jackson
4. Lees

 

[NJCat]

Here's my guess of the top 12....

1. Justin Jackson
2. Flynn Nagel
3. Marcus McShephard
4. Solomon Vault
5. Austin Carr
6. Garrett Dickerson
7. Jayme Taylor
8. Jelani Roberts
9. Warren Long
10. Andrew Scanlan
11. Ramaud Chiaokhia-Bowman
12. Charlie Fessler

I also like Ben Skowronek and Riley Lees.

If McShepard is the third leading receiver, NU will be in big trouble. No disrespect to Marcus but he is on the steep part of the learning curve.

 

[Overly_Invested_Cat]

If McShepard is the third leading receiver, NU will be in big trouble. No disrespect to Marcus but he is on the steep part of the learning curve.

I think he's going to surprise a lot of people.

 

[DaCat]

McShepard has huge upside, and even if he doesn't make it into the top 5 in catches, hoping that his speed can help keep defenses honest after burning them a few times, kind of like Tony Jones early in his career.

 

[Williesfan]

JJTBC is the leading returning receiver. If you were putting odds on it, I guess he'd be the favorite.

Based on the lack of experience among the true wide receivers, I don't even have a guess who it might be. Carr would be most likely, just by virtue of his limited experience with CT, but I would guess Vault leads among non-JJTBCs

My guess, based on nothing:
Jackson
Vault
Roberts
Carr
Dickerson
McShepherd
Green
Long

Nobody else with more than ten.

The lack of receivers experience remains shocking. Bad luck, bad offers, bad misses, I guess.

Lots on JJ (and WML) this season...

By yardage Austin Carr by receptions JJ.

 

[Wrestlerneverdiesasacatfan]

Ditto,Austin Carr! I like Flynn also

 

[NUCat320]

Here's my guess of the top 12....

1. Justin Jackson
2. Flynn Nagel
3. Marcus McShephard
4. Solomon Vault
5. Austin Carr
6. Garrett Dickerson
7. Jayme Taylor
8. Jelani Roberts
9. Warren Long
10. Andrew Scanlan
11. Ramaud Chiaokhia-Bowman
12. Charlie Fessler

I also like Ben Skowronek and Riley Lees.

I like Taylor quite a bit (as much as you can like a guy with, say, four career catches anyway). I just don't know that Mick will a) play two tight ends and then b) pass out of those formations. That said, has GDick distinguished himself as the clear number one? It's debatable, certainly.)

NU had one or two nice drives against ND where they passed out of a 2 TE set with GDick and Vitale on the field. I do hope we see more of that this season.

 

[Deeringfish]

JJTBC is the leading returning receiver. If you were putting odds on it, I guess he'd be the favorite.

Based on the lack of experience among the true wide receivers, I don't even have a guess who it might be. Carr would be most likely, just by virtue of his limited experience with CT, but I would guess Vault leads among non-JJTBCs

My guess, based on nothing:
Jackson
Vault
Roberts
Carr
Dickerson
McShepherd
Green
Long

Nobody else with more than ten.

The lack of receivers experience remains shocking. Bad luck, bad offers, bad misses, I guess.

Lots on JJ (and WML) this season...

I feel like it will be someone new like Ben Skowronek and Riley Lees.
I suppose Vault will have had the most time working with Thorson.

 

[DaCat]

I think Carr probably has worked with Thorson more than Vault has.

 

[Deeringfish]

I think Carr probably has worked with Thorson more than Vault has.

Your right about that. Some how I just feel like something has to be very different this year. Not to take anything away from Carr but it is very disappointing to have a walk on leading the team in receptions. It means that too many people didn't come close to their potential.

 

[FloridAlum]

Zeke Markshausen - 91 receptions, 2009, not bad for a walk on

 

[Overly_Invested_Cat]

I miss Jeremy Ebert.

 

[DaCat]

I miss D'Wayne Bates.

 

[mikewebb68]

Nagel. And it won't be close

 

[SIUCatfan]

I don't know about "won't be close", but I agree it will be Nagel.

 

[Cat In The Cradle]

Fitz. CT will be throwing more balls into the sidelines from broken plays rather than force costly mistakes. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[DaCat]

I think Nagel has the potential to be a Zeke type receiver - deceptively fast, smart to find the seams, sure hands.

Lees could become Ebert 2.0. The comparisons are obvious.

Vault and McShepard adds an element of speed that we have rarely seen at NU. I hope they don't get McCalled in an underperforming offense.

If Carr keeps improving, he will lead the team in catches.

 

[ricko654321]

Nagel. And it won't be close

I also like Nagel 1. Prob Carr 2nd. Solo 3rd, think he takes the Shuler role on the wide side of the field stretching the defense (I don't know which letter that is but you know what I mean), Jackson 4. McShepard I hope will have a few big plays but likely not a ton of catches. Lees would be nice if he's in the top 5 but he is a true freshman so who knows.

 

[RevCat]

Roger Murphy.

 

[Just Gary]

I think Nagel but I would not be surprise if Taylor becomes the number 1 receiver. I think Dickerson will be there on the running plays and Taylor will take Vitale's role. He was looking real good before the injury. JJ will get his share but they got to conserve him this year. Vault, McShephard, and Roberts will be used sparingly. Carr is the deeper threat, so I only see limited throws to him and I'm not sure he can separate that well (slots, running backs, and superbacks have the natural separation). But Nagel has shown the speed and ability to separate. That will make him a threat if the defense cheats up on the run play.

 

[NUCat320]

It's so interesting that Nagel seems to be the favorite here. Nagel is effectively a freshman, with four - four! - catches last season. It's not good or bad, right or wrong, just interesting.

It's interesting, just interesting, that Roberts hasn't been mentioned at all.

McShepherd and Vault seem to have gotten good reviews, to the extent they're available. Is there any chance the other converted WR, Spicoli, gets on the field?

Lots of opportunity, it would seem.
I hope 16 guys catch balls against Western Michigan.

 

[Deeringfish]

It's so interesting that Nagel seems to be the favorite here. Nagel is effectively a freshman, with four - four! - catches last season. It's not good or bad, right or wrong, just interesting.

It's interesting, just interesting, that Roberts hasn't been mentioned at all.

McShepherd and Vault seem to have gotten good reviews, to the extent they're available. Is there any chance the other converted WR, Spicoli, gets on the field?

Lots of opportunity, it would seem.
I hope 16 guys catch balls against Western Michigan.

I think the perception (not necessarily correct) is that Roberts is too small and doesn't have great hands to be a consistent receiver over the course of a whole season.

Your hope of 16 guys catching the ball may be a hyperbole but I seem to remember our best offenses were the ones where there were 8 or so different receivers in the stats each week.

 

[gocatsgo2003]

I think Nagel but I would not be surprise if Taylor becomes the number 1 receiver. I think Dickerson will be there on the running plays and Taylor will take Vitale's role. He was looking real good before the injury. JJ will get his share but they got to conserve him this year. Vault, McShephard, and Roberts will be used sparingly. Carr is the deeper threat, so I only see limited throws to him and I'm not sure he can separate that well (slots, running backs, and superbacks have the natural separation). But Nagel has shown the speed and ability to separate. That will make him a threat if the defense cheats up on the run play.

If Carr is our deeper threat, our passing game is in big trouble.

 

[DaCat]

Also hoping that we have one of the freshmen, redshirt or true, other than Riley Lees contribute significantly. I'm simply going to assume Riley will be an impact player this season. Would love to see any or all from among Cam Green, Charlie Fessler, Ben Skowronek, et al to step up.

 

[gocatsgo2003]

Also hoping that we have one of the freshmen, redshirt or true, other than Riley Lees contribute significantly. I'm simply going to assume Riley will be an impact player this season. Would love to see any or all from among Cam Green, Charlie Fessler, Ben Skowronek, et al to step up.

Regardless of the player's physical abilities, it is always dangerous to "assume" that a true freshman will be an impact player (especially one who is changing positions).

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Also hoping that we have one of the freshmen, redshirt or true, other than Riley Lees contribute significantly. I'm simply going to assume Riley will be an impact player this season. Would love to see any or all from among Cam Green, Charlie Fessler, Ben Skowronek, et al to step up.

Wow, I was thinking he would likely redshirt. I'll take your impact player projection over mine.

 

[FeralFelidae]

The lack of receivers experience remains shocking. Bad luck, bad offers, bad misses, I guess.

I remember when Randy Walker recruited so many receivers that many here questioned his recruiting approach. In defense, others said that receivers are great athletes and, if we have too many receivers, we convert some of them to other positions.

I think Fitz still places an emphasis on recruiting athletes, but his focus is more on the defensive side. Maybe it's not so easy to convert defensive athletes into wide receivers. On the other hand, Walker never had a defense like last season...

 

[NUCat320]

I remember when Randy Walker recruited so many receivers that many here questioned his recruiting approach. In defense, others said that receivers are great athletes and, if we have too many receivers, we convert some of them to other positions.

I think Fitz still places an emphasis on recruiting athletes, but his focus is more on the defensive side. Maybe it's not so easy to convert defensive athletes into wide receivers. On the other hand, Walker never had a defense like last season...

I am an advocate of recruiting as many quarterbacks as possible, because they're still often the best athletes and can move if they don't work out. This is an approach that worked well with Peterman, Brewer, Colter (when he played there), as well as Brendan Smith and (I think) Brad Phillips in the secondary. I also believe that more QBs=More leaders, which I view as a good thing.

It appears that Alviti will never make that move, but that (pending his own development and Aidan Smith's) Yates certainly could be a candidate. Lees, of course, has already made that move.

I don't recall Walker over-recruiting the position. I do recall lots of guys from his era / the spread era who dot the top the all-time NU leaderboard.

 

[Wrestlerneverdiesasacatfan]

Flynn has the best hands,best moves after a catch! Definitely a great WR if healthy! Not super fast,but we can count on him to get us 5-10 yards after a catch! He's my Zeke M guy this year!

 

[DaCat]

I remember when Randy Walker recruited so many receivers that many here questioned his recruiting approach. In defense, others said that receivers are great athletes and, if we have too many receivers, we convert some of them to other positions.

I think Fitz still places an emphasis on recruiting athletes, but his focus is more on the defensive side. Maybe it's not so easy to convert defensive athletes into wide receivers. On the other hand, Walker never had a defense like last season...

I think RW collected running backs, the overflow of which then became wide receivers or defensive backs. Even Jason Wright was sent to the receiving corps at one time only to be recalled to the running back squad due to injuries.

 

[phatcat]

I'm going to go with JJTBC. Here's why:

1. Lots of playing time
2. Hopefully, an emphasis on getting him the ball away from the tangle in the middle.
3. CT and the line, while improved, will still be forced to dump off the ball pretty regularly
4. There (currently) are not any clear standouts (unless they stand next to Roberts), so I see a lot of splitting time, and a bunch of guys getting around 20 catches

 

[DaCat]

I'm hoping this year our leading receiver will have north of 40 catches. It wasn't all that long ago that Zeke had 93 catches. If true, I don't see JJTBC getting that many.

 

[Just Gary]

If Carr is our deeper threat, our passing game is in big trouble.

That is why I said he would see limited throws.

 

[willycat]

If Carr is our deeper threat, our passing game is in big trouble.

If he is our leading receiver, we are really in bigger trouble.

 

[DaCat]

If he is our leading receiver, we are really in bigger trouble.

Bah humbug! It's not about who, but how many catches. If Carr leads the team with, say 50 catches, how does that indicate trouble?

 

[ricko654321]

It's so interesting that Nagel seems to be the favorite here. Nagel is effectively a freshman, with four - four! - catches last season. It's not good or bad, right or wrong, just interesting.

It's interesting, just interesting, that Roberts hasn't been mentioned at all.

McShepherd and Vault seem to have gotten good reviews, to the extent they're available. Is there any chance the other converted WR, Spicoli, gets on the field?

Lots of opportunity, it would seem.
I hope 16 guys catch balls against Western Michigan.

If I were setting the lines I think Nagel should without question be the favorite (maybe by plurality, but by a strong plurality). Carr may have been barely our best option last year, but among a very weak set of competition. I'm hoping he is not the top WR this year, if so I'm with Gcg that we are in trouble. Vault and McShepard will hopefully be dangerous, but are not high volume guys I don't think. I think Solo is the type of guy we want to get the ball to either moving laterally in space, or else down the field. Roberts is talented but is in no way a high volume guy.

The other freshman and RS etc may mix in, but if any of them were polished or standout enough to differentiate, they would have seen time last year among our weak crop. Dickerson and Taylor are both skilled, but when have we ever used the receiving talent of our SBs to its full potential in this offense? I would say never, just think about Vitale. Lastly, I think Nagel has a very distinct role that no one else I see on the team can really replace him at- the quick possession WR who gets open and catches the damn ball, regardless of traffic. Carr has that build and mental makeup, but he's not quick enough to consistently get open from what I've seen.

 

[ThatkidfromHolland]

If I were setting the lines I think Nagel should without question be the favorite (maybe by plurality, but by a strong plurality). Carr may have been barely our best option last year, but among a very weak set of competition. I'm hoping he is not the top WR this year, if so I'm with Gcg that we are in trouble. Vault and McShepard will hopefully be dangerous, but are not high volume guys I don't think. I think Solo is the type of guy we want to get the ball to either moving laterally in space, or else down the field. Roberts is talented but is in no way a high volume guy.

The other freshman and RS etc may mix in, but if any of them were polished or standout enough to differentiate, they would have seen time last year among our weak crop. Dickerson and Taylor are both skilled, but when have we ever used the receiving talent of our SBs to its full potential in this offense? I would say never, just think about Vitale. Lastly, I think Nagel has a very distinct role that no one else I see on the team can really replace him at- the quick possession WR who gets open and catches the damn ball, regardless of traffic. Carr has that build and mental makeup, but he's not quick enough to consistently get open from what I've seen.

I'm with you on nagel but I'm curious here was dunsmore used to his full receiving potential?

 

[NUCat320]

If I were setting the lines I think Nagel should without question be the favorite (maybe by plurality, but by a strong plurality). Carr may have been barely our best option last year, but among a very weak set of competition. I'm hoping he is not the top WR this year, if so I'm with Gcg that we are in trouble. Vault and McShepard will hopefully be dangerous, but are not high volume guys I don't think. I think Solo is the type of guy we want to get the ball to either moving laterally in space, or else down the field. Roberts is talented but is in no way a high volume guy.

The other freshman and RS etc may mix in, but if any of them were polished or standout enough to differentiate, they would have seen time last year among our weak crop. Dickerson and Taylor are both skilled, but when have we ever used the receiving talent of our SBs to its full potential in this offense? I would say never, just think about Vitale. Lastly, I think Nagel has a very distinct role that no one else I see on the team can really replace him at- the quick possession WR who gets open and catches the damn ball, regardless of traffic. Carr has that build and mental makeup, but he's not quick enough to consistently get open from what I've seen.

Nagel showed you *a lot* in four catches. (I'm not saying he's not everything you expect, just that I've not seen what you've seen.)