Published Jul 12, 2024
Preseason Position Previews - Wide Receivers
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Kevin Stone  •  EagleAction
Staff Writer
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@kstone06

Ok, now the fun part starts.

Rolling into the weekend taking a look at this wide receiver group. On paper, this offense can be very, very good. A lot depends on Tommy Castellanos taking the next step, but as far as who he has to work with, there's a lot of options on top of Morales at tight end too and what should be a solid 1-2 punch out of the back field.

Let's take a look at what exactly Bill O'Brien, Will Lawing and Darrell Wyatt have to work with this season...

Bradley, Bond and Skeete has the potential to be quite a trio

The addition of Jerand Bradley from Texas Tech can't be overstated. If you saw him at any of the spring practices, you know he gives this team an outside threat they haven't had in a long time. Zay was obviously a superstar, but Bradley is a completely different type of receiver. He can win a jump ball down field, catch balls over the middle and simply out-physical defenders at the point of attack whether it's a slant, comeback on the sideline or deep ball. He's a massive target for Castellanos (or James) at 6'5" 220lbs. Not only is Brand going to help TC, but he's going to open up the field for Lewis Bond and Jaedn Skeete too.

Speaking of them, Bond has shown he can be elite and his connection with Castellanos on the field is undeniable. He was a little banged up towards the end of spring ball, but should be fine once 'real' camp starts. Bond has the skills to be one of the top receivers in the ACC if he continues ascending. As for Skeete, he started to break out a bit last year (who can forget the UConn grab). He looked and sounded very confident of his ability to continue adjusting at this level during the 15 practices. If that's your top three and all three guys are producing, it's the best WR trio the Eagles have had in a long, long time.

Dino Tomlin breakout season?

So, every time you looked up Dino was catching a screen and sprinting down field during spring ball. Funny enough, I watched the Syracuse game again the other night when it was on ACCN and that was arguably the offense's most effective play for the majority of the night aside from Kye pounding the rock. I believe Dino can be a very big factor for this offense as the fourth guy, whether he's inside or outside. He's already a pro when it comes to his effort and attitude (which isn't a surprise given who his dad is). Not only that, but the scuffle he was in (started) at the end of camp shows his competitive nature and juice he brings to the locker room. He's a mean blocker in the run game too. Don't be surprised if No. 13 is getting his name called quite a bit this season, he's a very valuable piece of the puzzle.

McGowan could be a big addition

I talked about Jayden's versatility in the running backs preview. He's definitely going to get the rock this season, it's just a matter of whether it's lined up inside, outside or out of the backfield. Very athletic, very quick and shifty in space. I also believe he's the main return guy alongside Ward when the team takes the field against Florida State. There's a lot to like about this addition from Vanderbilt.

My under the radar weapon

I might have said or typed or tweeted the name Reed Harris 500 times in April. This kid is only a redshirt freshman, but absolutely stood out almost every day. He's a big target (6'3" 199lbs.) and seemingly catches everything his way with a huge catch radius. Assuming those top three guys do what we believe they're capable of and McGowan proves to be a versatile weapon, it'll be hard for Harris to see many snaps, but you all saw it in the spring game too. This kid has a ton of upside and if I'm a QB I would love him as an option in the red zone once or twice a game at least.

Can depth guys create opportunities for themselves?

You all know Wes Welker - I mean Luke McLaughlin - was my camp darling with the WR group. Kid literally is a spitting image of Welker with his rout running and the way he plucks the ball. More importantly, he was very productive when given opportunities in camp. He probably won't see much time, but he's someone I could see making some plays in those second half blowout games or when the offense is struggling and needs a spark with a big third down grab on 3rd-&-6. Nate Johnson, Ismael Zamor, Jay Brundle, Dante Reynolds and Montrell Wade will all need to 'wow' the staff in camp to get any significant looks, but overall I have very high expectations for this entire room in 2024.