Michigan Football 2011: Wolverines' Top 10 Wide Receivers for the 2011 Season

With Darryl Stonum likely suspended for the season, some fans have become a little concerned about Michigan's wide receiver situation. 

Roy Roundtree and Junior Hemingway are absolutely fine as the top two guys, and Martavious Odoms is a solid No. 3, but after that, there's simply no experience.

Michigan didn't sign a single receiver in their 2011 recruiting class, so there will be no impact, true freshmen to watch out for.

Most of the receivers on Michigan's roster are very young, and somebody just has to step up this season.  Here's a preview of Michigan's receivers as a whole, ranked by the impact they'll likely have on the team this season.

10. Terrence Robinson (RS Jr.)

Terrence Robinson's career at Michigan has been a big disappointment so far.  He came in as a 4-star running back out of Texas who was expected to have a big impact in Rich Rodriguez's spread offense.

However, he never was effective and has since been moved to receiver.  Standing only 5'9" and weighing 175 pounds, the chances that he will see significant playing time in the new pro-style offense look slim.

Even though his career has been a huge disappointment so far, there is one big highlight that stands out.  It came in the opener last year against Connecticut, when he caught a pass that went for 43 yards and was a huge play at the time.

It looked like he could potentially be a big part of the offense for the rest of the season, but he surprisingly didn't catch another pass the entire year.

Not much is expected of him in 2011, and unfortunately, it looks like he'll be a career backup.

9. Jeremy Gallon (RS So.)

Jeremy Gallon was a highly recruited 4-star out of Florida who, like Terrence Robinson, was expected to have a big impact in the spread offense.  However, now that he's playing in a pro-style system, it just doesn't look like he will have much of an impact.

He did play some last year as a redshirt freshman, catching four passes for 49 yards and one touchdown.

However, he played a lot more on special teams.  Unfortunately, he is probably best known for his ineffectiveness returning punts, as he almost always looked uncomfortable and overwhelmed.  He rarely got anything on his returns, and holding onto the ball was also an issue.

Whether or not he returns punts this year is yet to be seen, but it would seemingly make more sense to give the job to someone who has experience, such as Martavious Odoms or Junior Hemingway.

If Gallon is not returning punts, then he may not see much playing time this year.  He is not expected to contribute a whole lot on offense, as he is just simply not fit for a pro-style system, standing 5'8" and weighing 180 pounds. 

Unfortunately, it looks like there's a good chance that he could spent the rest of his career at Michigan as a backup.

8. Jerald Robinson (RS Fr.)

Jerald Robinson will only be a redshirt freshman this year and may not contribute a whole lot, but he should certainly see some playing time.

It would really help the offense if he stepped up and played well this year because, with all the proven receivers except Roundtree departing after this season, some of the younger ones just have to make an impact in 2011. 

Hopefully, Robinson can ease his way into the mix this season, and then be a big contributor in a year or two.

He has good size, standing 6'1", and there is no reason he can't be one of Michigan's primary receivers a year or two down the road.

7. Kelvin Grady (RS Sr.)

Kelvin Grady is truly an amazing story, as it is so rare to see players switch sports the way he did. 

Being a reasonable contributor to the Michigan basketball team, he decided to quit and join the football team.  It looked like a good idea in early 2009, when he was seeing regular playing time in the first part of the season. 

However, he faded down the stretch and finished the year with only 10 catches and one touchdown.  Hoping to bounce back in 2010, it looked like he would do just that, as he was having an impact early in the year.

However, he faded down the stretch again.  He caught 17 balls on the year but did not have a touchdown.

The coaches love Grady's hands and explosiveness, but for some reason, he has just not had a big impact in the offense.  He's certainly expected to play this year, but how much is debatable.

He seems to have a great attitude and is one of the most well-liked guys in the locker room, so it would be nice if he could contribute on offense this fall and have a solid senior year.

6. Drew Dileo (So.)

The more news that comes out on Drew Dileo, the more likely it sounds that he could see significant playing time this fall.  He caught only one pass last year but saw reasonable game action at times.

Late in the year, he began playing on special teams, mainly returning punts.  There's a decent chance he could do that again this season, as Michigan's return men are still a mystery.

Dileo is a speedy receiver that would fit perfectly in the slot.  He's small, which isn't ideal for this kind of offense, but that won't necessarily stop him from making an impact.

It sounds like the coaches love him, as he is an extremely hard worker and a great team player.  Don't expect him to be a large part of the offense, but he certainly should see significant playing time now and then.

5. Jeremy Jackson (So.)

There is a good chance that Jeremy Jackson could see significant playing time for Michigan this fall.  He saw some action as a true freshman last year, catching four passes for 55 yards. 

However, his role in the offense should certainly expand this year.

He has the absolute perfect size to play in a pro-style offense, standing 6'3" and weighing 203 pounds, and resembles the Michigan receivers of old.

Being Fred Jackson's son, he is from Ann Arbor, so even though he is only a sophomore, he is very familiar with the Michigan program.

He is expected to have a decent year and should go on to have a very good career at Michigan, becoming one of their primary receivers a year or two down the road.

4. Je'Ron Stokes (Jr.)

When Je'Ron Stokes, who was a highly recruited 4-star out of Philadelphia, surprisingly committed to play for Michigan, it helped give the Wolverines' 2009 recruiting class a top-10 ranking nationally. 

Big things were expected of Stokes, but unfortunately, he has yet to live up to the hype.

Coming into the 2011 season, he will be a junior and simply has to start producing.  Even though he did see playing time in both 2009 and 2010, he only has three career catches.

One of Michigan's unproven receivers has to step up this year, and Stokes is as good a bet as any.  One encouraging sign is that he had an amazing spring game, which is hopefully a sign of things to come.

If he can have a solid year this year and then have a great season next year as a senior, he can shed the notion that he has been a bust and salvage his career.

3. Martavious Odoms (Sr.)

As a true freshman in 2008, Odoms set all kinds of Michigan freshman receiving records.  He got off to a great start in 2009, which included catching the game winning touchdown pass against Indiana, but then got hurt and missed the second half of the year. 

He came back strong last year but unfortunately, got hurt again at the midway point and missed the second half of the regular season.

However, he returned for the Gator Bowl and looked great, catching a 27-yard touchdown pass.

Some may question Odoms coming into the 2011 season because of his size. He's only 5'8" and weighs 175 pounds and is obviously better suited for the spread offense. 

However, he can do most of the things that a pro style receiver is asked to do.  He is an extremely good blocker and is not afraid to take on any defender, regardless of size.

Odoms is very fast and will be a perfect slot receiver.  He should do just fine in the pro-style offense.

Not only will he have a big impact on offense, but likely on special teams as well.  He has returned punts at times throughout his career, and there is a good chance that he could be the main returner this season.

With Michigan's kick returners still a mystery, there is a chance that he could be returning kicks as well.

Odoms has been through a lot during his time at Michigan, dealing with coaching changes and battling injuries.  Hopefully, he can have an injury-free senior year and have a big impact on both offense and special teams. 

Odoms will be missed tremendously once he graduates.

2. Junior Hemingway (RS Sr.)

Junior Hemingway is one of the oldest players on the team, as he was actually recruited by Lloyd Carr in the 2007 recruiting class.  He was recruited to play in a pro-style offense, so he'll obviously feel right at home this fall. 

Weighing 225 pounds, he is a load to bring down once he catches the ball.

He has had an interesting career so far at Michigan.  As a true freshman in 2007, he caught only four passes but showed a ton of potential.

In the 2008 opener against Utah, he caught two passes for 41 yards and a touchdown.  However, he got hurt and didn't play another game the rest of the year and was granted a medical redshirt.

He burst back onto the scene in the 2009 opener against Western Michigan, catching five passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns.  He went on to have a very solid year.

However, this past season was his best one yet.  He had almost 600 receiving yards and was near the top of the national leaders in yards per catch, averaging an amazingly high 18.5.

Hemingway had over 100 receiving yards against three different teams in 2010: Indiana, Iowa and Illinois.

He will be a huge part of the offense this year and should have a very solid senior season.  There is a good chance he will also see playing time on special teams.  He certainly could get some time on both punt and kick returns.

Hemingway could potentially be the last Michigan offensive player to wear the No. 21 if Desmond Howard's jersey number gets retired this year.

Hemingway and fellow senior Martavious Odoms have both been through a lot in their time at Michigan, and both will certainly be missed after this year.

1. Roy Roundtree (RS Jr.)

Roundtree is a no-brainer here in the No. 1 spot. 

He is an explosive wide receiver, who has the potential to score every time he touches the ball.  He is arguably the best receiver in the Big Ten and one of the better ones in the country.

After being verbally committed to Purdue in high school, Roundtree switched his commitment to Michigan on National Signing Day of 2008.  He redshirted the 2008 season, as he was seemingly having trouble "seeing" the ball. 

He underwent laser eye surgery and then, as a redshirt freshman in 2009, exploded in the second half of the season.

Against Illinois on Halloween, he caught four passes for 92 yards, which was by far his best performance up to that point.  A week later against Purdue, he caught 10 passes for 126 yards and one touchdown.  The next week against Wisconsin, he had 56 receiving yards and a touchdown.

In the finale against Ohio State, he had an amazing performance, catching nine passes for 116 yards.

This past year, Roundtree was almost unstoppable.  He had over 100 receiving yards in four different games and caught a touchdown pass in six different games.  He also broke the Michigan single game receiving record, with 246 yards and two touchdowns against Illinois.

On the year, he finished with 72 receptions and fell just short of 1,000 receiving yards, with 935.  Remember, he did all of this while playing in a run-first offense.

In 2011, Roundtree will be the unquestioned No. 1 receiver for Michigan, and should have another monster year.  However, defenses will unfortunately probably be able to focus on him a little more, with Darryl Stonum likely out. 

That is why it is so crucial that another receiver steps up and that Hemingway and Odoms continue to produce.

He will be Robinson's favorite target this year and will certainly be one of the best players on this offense.  If he is this good as a junior, imagine what he will do as a senior in 2012.