Why WR Malcolm Mitchell Could Be the Key to Georgia's Success in 2015

The 2015 Georgia Bulldogs look more and more like they're going to be the Nick Chubb Show by the week. 

After all three quarterbacks—Brice Ramsey, Faton Bauta and Jacob Park—looked decent in the spring game, head coach Mark Richt threw a surprising curveball when he hosted former Notre Dame quarterback and prospective graduate transfer Everett Golson on a visit.

Golson eventually transferred to Florida State, but Richt found his graduate transfer when former Virginia quarterback and Georgia native Greyson Lambert announced he would enroll at Georgia this summer.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Lambert's move—and Georgia's quest for a transfer quarterback—is more about depth than it is about a search for a starter. It's also an indication that Chubb is going to have to pick up right where he left off last year, when he rushed for 266 yards and two touchdowns in the 37-14 Belk Bowl win over Louisville.

Or will he?

While Chubb will be the focal point of the Georgia offense, Sony Michel and Keith Marshall are pretty good too. In fact, Michel rushed for 206 yards and three touchdowns over Georgia's first three games of last season, while Chubb received just 12 carries. 

In a perfect world for Georgia, Michel and Marshall will stay healthy for a full 12 games and take some pressure off of Chubb.

Who else would take pressure off of Chubb? 

David Stephenson/Associated Press

Wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell can, and he could be the key who unlocks Georgia's success in 2015.

Mitchell's career has been hit or miss in Athens, as he fought through nagging injuries and a temporary move to cornerback out of necessity in 2012. He had 665 yards and four touchdowns as a true freshman in 2011 and earned SEC All-Freshman honors from the coaches.

Since then, though, the 6'1", 195-pounder spent four games playing corner before finishing the 2012 campaign with 572 yards and four touchdowns, tore his ACL in the 2013 opener and missed the first four games of last year after a cartilage injury suffered in fall camp.

"I've missed out on some opportunities because of injuries," Mitchell said in May, according to David Paschall of the Chattanooga Times Free Press, "but this is my chance to make up for all that."

Year	Rec.	Yds.	YPC	TDs
2011	45	665	14.78	4
2012	40	572	14.30	4
2014	31	248	8.00	3
Career	116	1,485	12.36	11

Georgia needs him.

As Radi Nabulsi of UGASports.com noted in April, he's really the only established threat Georgia has at wide receiver:

It's no secret to the coaching staff that one of Georgia's roster deficiencies is outside.

"We're very thin at receiver right now," Richt said following the spring game. "We were thin when the spring began; we're thinner now. That's the one position where you can't really be short on numbers, because the volume of running that they do."

Mitchell's ability to stretch the field and become a true and consistent No. 1 will keep secondaries honest, prevent them from focusing too much on Chubb and the running backs and help the other wide receivers evolve into their roles. 

David Stephenson/Associated Press

If that happens, "the human joystick" and dangerous slot receiver Isaiah McKenzie will have more room to operate, speedster Reggie Davis will draw more favorable matchups and tight ends Jay Rome and Jeb Blazevich will have more one-on-ones up the seams.

Chubb will be the star, and his supporting cast in the backfield will need to put together performances worthy of Oscar consideration. But his most important teammate will be Mitchell lining up outside at receiver.

If he's successful, it will transform the Bulldogs into a two-dimensional machine, take pressure off of the eventual winner of the quarterback battle and create holes the size of the Grand Canyon within opposing defenses.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.