SEC Football: Wide Receiver Power Rankings Heading Into Week 3
Don't we all love arbitrary lists that delve past the stats and look into the intangibles that players bring to their respective teams? Is there not a crazy fascination with rankings when it comes to college football? Do SEC fans not live to see what every writer thinks of their team or its players so said fan(s) can argue and call the writer an idiot?
Well, if you fall into any of those categories, you've come to the right place.
Over the next few slides, we will power rank the top 10 pass-catchers in the Southeastern Conference. Keep in mind, these rankings go beyond stats. A player's receiving yards will factor in, but his importance to his team's offense will weigh much more.
With that said, here's the best wide receivers the SEC has to offer after two weeks of football.
1. Alshon Jeffery, South Carolina
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The Gamecocks' impressive start to the 2010 season is all about Stephen Garcia’s turnaround and Marcus Lattimore’s explosion onto the scene, right? To hear most in the media tell it, you’d think Steve Spurrier’s best team since coming to South Carolina was a two-man show on offense and stellar defense. Not so.
Alshon Jeffery is an unbelievable specimen of football greatness at wideout for the ‘Cocks. He’s huge, has gigantic hands, and is at or near the top in almost every statistical receiving category in the SEC. He is the best in the league, hands down.
And to think, college football's best judge of character, Lane Kiffin, said this kid would be pumping gas if he went to South Carolina. Lane was partially right. Jeffery will pump his own gas in his Bentley once he signs a nice, fat, juicy NFL contract in a few years.
2. Greg Childs, Arkansas
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The best receiver on the team with the best quarterback in the league has done plenty to separate himself as well. He leads the league in total receptions, and is in the top four in four other categories.
Obviously, a lot of that has to do with who is throwing him the ball, Ryan Mallet. But don’t sell Childs short. The 6'3" junior is a big target who could easily turn his collegiate success into a first-round draft pick in the next couple of years.
3. Julio Jones, Alabama
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The best wide receiver on the best team in the country does not put up gigantic numbers, in part due to Alabama’s run-first-run-second-run-third-get a first down-run-fourth-throw-fifth offense, but make no mistake about it, Jones is the top non-running back offensive option on this team.
Despite leading in no statistical category, Jones is constant near the top of most. The victim of random injuries and double-teams last year, Jones has to earn everything he gets.
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4. Kris Durham, Georgia
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The other wide receiver at Georgia, the one who didn’t sell his jersey to a business agent at the end of the 2009 season, has filled in admirably for the wisdom-less A.J. Green as the ‘Dawgs go-to option in the passing game.
The 6'5" senior has what it takes physically to compete week in, week out in the SEC and will easily get an NFL contract at season’s end. As good as Durham has been for the ‘Dawgs as the second option in the passing game, his transition to top target status will only make Georgia’s air attack that much deeper once A.J. Green comes back from his four-game suspension in October.
5. Markeith Summers, Ole Miss
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While this list is not based solely on statistics, Summers’s field day against Tulane vaulted him into the top three in receiving yards and yards per game. Summers caught five passes for 165 yards Saturday. The 6'3" senior averages 28 yards per catch, which is tops among SEC receivers with at least two catches or more.
Whether Summers will stay on this list all season or not is up for debate, but while QB Jeremiah Masoli continues utilizing Summers as his go-to guy, the senior could continue to put up big numbers. If he does that, you can't keep him out of the conversation.
6. Randall Cobb, Kentucky
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Cobb’s stats at wide receiver are not astronomical. He’s barely in the top ten in yardage. He has only caught seven passes. For some reason, however, he’s the guy that opposing defensive coordinators get ulcers and stay up all night plotting against.
The junior’s playmaking abilities go way beyond catching the football. He passes, runs, makes great catches, and returns punts. He just does everything. Granted, this list is about pass catchers, but leaving an athlete of this caliber off of this list would be a crime.
7. Joe Adams, Arkansas
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Another member of the top passing team in the SEC, Adams leads the league in total receiving yards, 214, and is tied for the lead in touchdowns, two.
Adams is the speed demon on the team and should stay at or near the top in yardage all season long.
8. Chad Bumphis, Mississippi State
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Chad Bumphis, who won Freshman All-SEC honors last season, has had a great start to his sophomore campaign. The speedster has over 130 yards receiving and has even provided a spark running the ball a few times the last couple of years.
Bumphis had almost as many rushing yards (27) as receiving yards (34) against Auburn last week. But his 100 yards against the overmatched Memphis Tigers justifies his appearance on this list, at least for this week anyway.
9. Darius Hanks, Alabama
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From Alabama's fifth receiver to solid No. 2 option, Darius Hanks has capitalized on his opportunity to be one of Greg McElroy's most trusted receivers after Julio Jones.
He's the same type of receiver as this list's No. 10 receiver, Deonte Thompson, but he has much better hands. Hanks has six receptions for 118 yards in two games for the Tide. As long as Julio continues getting the opposing team's best defender attached to him, Hanks could very well become Alabama's go-to guy at wide receiver.
10. Deonte Thompson, Florida
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Florida's Deonte Thompson has drawn criticism for dropped passes over his career for Florida. Whether it was a sure touchdown pass or just a quick out for eight yards, Thompson's reputation is an earned one.
Thompson is Florida's No. 1 option at receiver and it has showed this season. He still has yet to catch a touchdown this season, but his 83 yards receiving against South Florida is the reason he made the cut this time around.
One would think since he has a "real quarterback" throwing to him now, that he'd be much more successful at catching the ball.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
