Let's say hypothetically Hakeem Butler is gone this year. We also lose Matt Eaton (6'4'') and Carson Epps (non-factor the last couple years).
I look at the WR who are left on the current roster and I instantly wonder who will replace our big physical receivers on the outside. Since Allen Lazard played his first down back in 2014, Iowa State has always had a large presence at the X and/or Z positions.
End of season depth chart shows Josh Johnson backing up Butler and Landon Akers on the other side behind Eaton. They are 5'11'' 183 and 6' 192 respectively, and I would not be surprised if both are below their marks in the weight category. Size wise they seem more like they'd be better suited to be slot guys. Obviously we have slot guys already in Milton and Jones. Perceptively we have another slot guy in the wings, Carson Schleker.
So my question is what happens next year? Who moves to the outside? I don't see Deshaunte ever moving away from the position he has had since he enrolled. Milton at 5'10'' while a bit on the small side, plays big and could have the most burst out of anyone in that WR group. Not sure if he's a great blocker or not. Don't know a whole lot about Johnson except that he was a 4 star recruit. In HS it looks like he was a decent Red Zone target with 8 TD's his junior year and 8 in an injury shortened senior season. But at 5'11'' I'm having a hard time envisioning him on the outside without knowing much about him, i.e. vertical, speed, strength. I like Akers a lot, although I'm really not sure about him starting. It just seems that we have more talented guys than him on the roster, not to sound too harsh.
Other guys that appear to have the body to play on the outside, and take over those spots from Butler and Eaton would be Joseph Scates, a 4-star guy with good offers, and Jalen Martin, whom I know people have been murmuring about the upside for some time now. You have to like his size at 6'3'' 211, he appears to have the physicality to make up for the loss of Butler and Eaton. You also wonder why he hasn't played more, and hasn't appeared on the depth chart very often, as a Redshirt So.
This years freshman class is interesting with Sean Shaw at 6'6'' 200. Had OK offers coming out of HS, 3 star guy. Not sure I see him contributing as early as next year, but maybe he'll surprise us. Best candidate IMO to replace the size and physicality we are losing at the position. Schleker is really fast, like I said earlier, probably the slot guy of the future. Tory Spears is on the roster, don't know much about him, or if there is anything worth knowing.
In the incoming class, Darien Porter at 6'4'' is a guy that seems to have the right frame, but unless he's bulked up from his listed 165 lbs I would not expect anything from him as a true freshman.
I'm not sure if it's a big deal that we don't seem to have a bulldozer/mack truck wide receiver. Someone that can block effectively downfield, not get jammed at the line of scrimmage, win 50/50 balls etc. and I suppose you don't need to be 6'5''-6'6'' 200-220 lbs to do those things. We do have several TE's that fit the bulldozer/safety blanket category at least. Maybe I'm raising questions that don't need answered, but what can I say? We've been blessed with big WR's for the past half decade, and I just get a little nervous not seeing an obvious one on the roster for next year.
I look at the WR who are left on the current roster and I instantly wonder who will replace our big physical receivers on the outside. Since Allen Lazard played his first down back in 2014, Iowa State has always had a large presence at the X and/or Z positions.
End of season depth chart shows Josh Johnson backing up Butler and Landon Akers on the other side behind Eaton. They are 5'11'' 183 and 6' 192 respectively, and I would not be surprised if both are below their marks in the weight category. Size wise they seem more like they'd be better suited to be slot guys. Obviously we have slot guys already in Milton and Jones. Perceptively we have another slot guy in the wings, Carson Schleker.
So my question is what happens next year? Who moves to the outside? I don't see Deshaunte ever moving away from the position he has had since he enrolled. Milton at 5'10'' while a bit on the small side, plays big and could have the most burst out of anyone in that WR group. Not sure if he's a great blocker or not. Don't know a whole lot about Johnson except that he was a 4 star recruit. In HS it looks like he was a decent Red Zone target with 8 TD's his junior year and 8 in an injury shortened senior season. But at 5'11'' I'm having a hard time envisioning him on the outside without knowing much about him, i.e. vertical, speed, strength. I like Akers a lot, although I'm really not sure about him starting. It just seems that we have more talented guys than him on the roster, not to sound too harsh.
Other guys that appear to have the body to play on the outside, and take over those spots from Butler and Eaton would be Joseph Scates, a 4-star guy with good offers, and Jalen Martin, whom I know people have been murmuring about the upside for some time now. You have to like his size at 6'3'' 211, he appears to have the physicality to make up for the loss of Butler and Eaton. You also wonder why he hasn't played more, and hasn't appeared on the depth chart very often, as a Redshirt So.
This years freshman class is interesting with Sean Shaw at 6'6'' 200. Had OK offers coming out of HS, 3 star guy. Not sure I see him contributing as early as next year, but maybe he'll surprise us. Best candidate IMO to replace the size and physicality we are losing at the position. Schleker is really fast, like I said earlier, probably the slot guy of the future. Tory Spears is on the roster, don't know much about him, or if there is anything worth knowing.
In the incoming class, Darien Porter at 6'4'' is a guy that seems to have the right frame, but unless he's bulked up from his listed 165 lbs I would not expect anything from him as a true freshman.
I'm not sure if it's a big deal that we don't seem to have a bulldozer/mack truck wide receiver. Someone that can block effectively downfield, not get jammed at the line of scrimmage, win 50/50 balls etc. and I suppose you don't need to be 6'5''-6'6'' 200-220 lbs to do those things. We do have several TE's that fit the bulldozer/safety blanket category at least. Maybe I'm raising questions that don't need answered, but what can I say? We've been blessed with big WR's for the past half decade, and I just get a little nervous not seeing an obvious one on the roster for next year.
