Iowa's Wide Receivers

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With the loss of ISM & Brandon Smith it appeared that we might drop down a bit in 2021, but after reviewing who's still on the roster, I believe that Coach Copeland has done an outstanding job at amassing a wonderful group of replacements for both young men.

Nico, who has done a great job of learning to get separation within 10 yards, will play a big role, as will Tyrone.

Personally, I'm excited to see how the big 6-3 WRs (Wagner, Ritter, and Hudson) pan out; and Senior Charlie Jones will certainly impress B1G fans.

If these guys can (a) get some quick separation; and (b) Spencer can deliver the ball to them quickly, Iowa might become both T.E.U. and W.R.U. in the next five years.

 

[NevadaHawk]

I really want to see Jones get a good share of opportunities to make catches in this his senior year. Also, I would like to get a look at Vines this season.

 

[Tytyhawk]

I'm expecting to see Hudson break out in 2021

 

[BBHawk]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Bruce break in on a few plays a game. That really depends on how Tracy does as I think they have similar skill sets, but both are incredible talents.

 

[OutbackBowl2017]

I'm expecting to see Hudson break out in 2021

Are referring to Desmond Hutson? If so, me too. Want to see the kid do well and make a contribution.

 

[TheCDiggity]

With the loss of ISM & Brandon Smith it appeared that we might drop down a bit in 2021, but after reviewing who's still on the roster, I believe that Coach Copeland has done an outstanding job at amassing a wonderful group of replacements for both young men.

Nico, who has done a great job of learning to get separation within 10 yards, will play a big role, as will Tyrone.

Personally, I'm excited to see how the big 6-3 WRs (Wagner, Ritter, and Hudson) pan out; and Senior Charlie Jones will certainly impress B1G fans.

If these guys can (a) get some quick separation; and (b) Spencer can deliver the ball to them quickly, Iowa might become both T.E.U. and W.R.U. in the next five years.

*reads W.R.U.*
Sees other schools, hahaha yeah right

Just a school that would appeal to higher rated guys eventually would be hopeful.

 

[bumpstock]

*reads W.R.U.*
Sees other schools, hahaha yeah right

Just a school that would appeal to higher rated guys eventually would be hopeful.
Well said! I don't what came over me.

 

[IowaHawkeyeFBnBB4Life]

Keagan Johnson should play

 

[Simbahawk4]

Coach Copeland definitely has some talented options! I’m really interested in the youngster’s..example extending the field with a scoot will be watching for Vines & Bruce to find some snaps. For finding spot action as a frosh K Johnson could serve a roll similar to Jerminic Smith’s freshman yr getting enough snaps to have 150-200 yrd’s. It will be interesting to see if D Hutson is used in more options than just red zone, for example in some drag and crossing routes!?

 

[Harbinger273]

I want to see Tracy have a monster year. He is super athletic and talented. Honestly, I'm surprised we attract the talent we do at receiver considering how anemic and inconsistent our passing game can be.

 

[millhawk]

I really want to see Jones get a good share of opportunities to make catches in this his senior year. Also, I would like to get a look at Vines this season.

This. If Jones gets the opportunities and I think he will, my bet is he takes advantage of his chances. He's a good player.

There was a poster last season that said Vines was impressing before he got hurt.

 

[BigOHawk]

Keagan Johnson should play

Check that, WILL play! Kid enrolled early, was the best player in the state by far this year and has the bloodlines, tools and intangibles to make early contributions. He's compared to ISM but one thing stands out to me, well a couple! He's about 25-30 lbs. heavier coming in and is an excellent route runner, he will do anything to help his team and HS coach said he could've played D in D1 as well, he's that athletic. We got a good one!

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

What's nice is that however the QB situation turns out ... it certainly ought to be a better situation than it was in 2020. The whole QB room should be "more evolved" ... and that should equate to a better passing game. As we saw in 2020 ... QB transitions can often be very rough around the edges. I look for things to be much smoother in '21.

A consequence of this ... guys like Bruce and Johnson will find themselves in a better position to succeed. As fans, that is exactly what we want to see!

 

[David1979]

Need the QB to get better to make use of the WRs.
WRU is a huge stretch lol

 

[UncannyNanny]

With the loss of ISM & Brandon Smith it appeared that we might drop down a bit in 2021, but after reviewing who's still on the roster, I believe that Coach Copeland has done an outstanding job at amassing a wonderful group of replacements for both young men.

Nico, who has done a great job of learning to get separation within 10 yards, will play a big role, as will Tyrone.

Personally, I'm excited to see how the big 6-3 WRs (Wagner, Ritter, and Hudson) pan out; and Senior Charlie Jones will certainly impress B1G fans.

If these guys can (a) get some quick separation; and (b) Spencer can deliver the ball to them quickly, Iowa might become both T.E.U. and W.R.U. in the next five years.

Have we heard anything on Wagner or Ritter? I know nothing about them..

 

[bumpstock]

Have we heard anything on Wagner or Ritter? I know nothing about them..

Not really; they both walked on. They'll either get noticed (or, not) this Spring, or need another year to "mature." I'm just hoping one (well, actually both) makes the most of their size, and their opportunity to rotate in.

 

[Pawkhawk1]

I'm rooting for Desmond Hutson. Kid deserves some good vibes.
Great family.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

I'm rooting for Desmond Hutson. Kid deserves some good vibes.
Great family.

Yeah ... losing a family member like that ... quickly reminds you how life isn't fair. I've been rooting for Hutson from the outset.

 

[just_somebody]

Having one (or both) of the departing guys get drafted could be huge for future recruits. Right now, opposing coaches can point out Iowa doesn't put receivers in the league. Even if Iowa WRs never put up gigantic number, being able to point to the ability to get guys to Sundays could make a difference. (Maybe enough to tip the scales on a David Bell type in the future)

 

[Jonnymungo]

I really want to see Jones get a good share of opportunities to make catches in this his senior year. Also, I would like to get a look at Vines this season.

Yes on Vines for me as well. He was talked about quite a bit the in Fall camp and during the season in 2019 as a player that was impressing the coaches and teammates. But I have not heard much buzz on him during the 2020 season and sometimes seems to be a forgotten guy at times when discussing the future at the position.

It will be interesting to see if he can hold off the talented Keegan Johnson. However, if I am not mistaken, I think Keegan will play Brandon Smith’s position (the Y) and Vines is probably more suited for ISMs (X position). Those who know more about his future please expound as I am not 100% sure on his position fit.

 

[Hawk94Mn]

Ragaini will lead receivers in targets, ill go with Jones with the highest avg yards per catch, tracy with the most TD's and Bruce/Brecht playing sparingly but making an impact. I really think Brecht has the highest ceiling of any receiver on the roster, a really special talent imo

 

[Tytyhawk]

Ragaini will lead receivers in targets, ill go with Jones with the highest avg yards per catch, tracy with the most TD's and Bruce/Brecht playing sparingly but making an impact. I really think Brecht has the highest ceiling of any receiver on the roster, a really special talent imo

Bruce/ Brecht before Johnson???

 

[desihawk]

Ragaini will lead receivers in targets, ill go with Jones with the highest avg yards per catch, tracy with the most TD's and Bruce/Brecht playing sparingly but making an impact. I really think Brecht has the highest ceiling of any receiver on the roster, a really special talent imo

ragaini will play a role by snagging some big catches for us but i’m hoping he doesn’t end up with the highest targets.

 

[The Deplorable Sleeping Dog]

This might be the most fun off season room to watch. I think we can safely say 2Ts and Nico are pretty close to carved in stone as the starters. I think 2Ts becomes a focal point where the offense looks for ways to get him the ball in a variety of ways and places. Nico is a very good solid Y receiver. Think both guys will step up as juniors.

Who is number 3? We know Charley Jones has a very quick first step and is an excellent broken field runner. The coaches must think he can catch if he's returning punts in his first year at Iowa.

Lot of good thoughts above on who is number 4 or maybe even number 3.

 

[blackandgoldPT]

Did Vines or Hutson tear an Achilles last year? Could have been a bad dream

 

[TheCDiggity]

Did Vines or Hutson tear an Achilles last year? Could have been a bad dream

Vines, idk if he tore it but feel like I remember reading something with leg ankle foot area.

 

[Dargo]

I guess I'm not real sure where the love for Charlie Jones is coming from. He does a good job returning punts, but really has shown nothing at receiver that would make me think he is going to contribute. He is fast, but we have had some speedsters that weren't good receivers. We need some youngsters to step up because Ragaini doesn't have the type of skill set to stretch the field. ISM was a guy that could do that, even though Petras had a lot of trouble connecting with him on deep passes.

 

[Tytyhawk]

I guess I'm not real sure where the love for Charlie Jones is coming from. He does a good job returning punts, but really has shown nothing at receiver that would make me think he is going to contribute. He is fast, but we have had some speedsters that weren't good receivers. We need some youngsters to step up because Ragaini doesn't have the type of skill set to stretch the field. ISM was a guy that could do that, even though Petras had a lot of trouble connecting with him on deep passes.

Watch his film from Buffalo and you'll see why there's excitement

 

[The Deplorable Sleeping Dog]

"He does a good job returning punts, but really has shown nothing at receiver that would make me think he is going to contribute."

That alone makes people think Charlie will be a good receiver. He has shown speed, an ability to at least catch punts and very good running ability, quick first step and good top end speed. Since he is a receiver those proven skills typically translate well to receiver play and not just returns. But, and its a big one, he never really had the opportunity to show what he could do at receiver because I think just the top four guys were ever targeted, or at least it seems that way.

No one else has shown as much as Charlie because, although I'm sure some saw the field, I cannot recall any receiver doing anything in games, but the afore mentioned top four guys.

Edit: Watched his highlight films on YouTube. Obviously they're "highlight" video so its the player at his best. He looked pretty good. Very good hands, got open deep, although not a lot of taking the top off kind of open deep, but very good receiver skills.

 

[Hawk94Mn]

Bruce/ Brecht before Johnson???

I love Johnson don't get me wrong, but I think the other two are just more complete players right now. To be fair, I am basing that off about 7 minutes of film a piece. I just didn't see Keegan used in a wide range of ways like Bruce. Brecht will be able to stand out with his size and he times his catches so well.

 

[RomanHawk]

I guess I'm not real sure where the love for Charlie Jones is coming from. He does a good job returning punts, but really has shown nothing at receiver that would make me think he is going to contribute. He is fast, but we have had some speedsters that weren't good receivers. We need some youngsters to step up because Ragaini doesn't have the type of skill set to stretch the field. ISM was a guy that could do that, even though Petras had a lot of trouble connecting with him on deep passes.

When there's a guy in Iowa's WR room who has shown hands, speed, and elusiveness, but hasn't been a single target, maybe he shouldn't get love, but how about an opportunity?

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

When there's a guy in Iowa's WR room who has shown hands, speed, and elusiveness, but hasn't been a single target, maybe he shouldn't get love, but how about an opportunity?

Jones was Iowa's #5 WR last year ... so that already would lead to some limitations on his reps.

When you add to the mix that Iowa had 3 RBs who we really liked in Goodson, Sarge, and IKM ... we played a bunch of sets where we had 2 "skilled" RBs in the backfield. That will further limited the snaps the #5 WR sees.

Lastly, the Hawks are a team that loves their TEs ... and the Hawks had 2 pretty good TEs in LaPorta and Beyer in '20. Consequently, we still used plenty of 2 TE sets ... again, that is something that will limit the number of snaps seen by the #5 WR.

However, given all those considerations ... Tracy raved about Jones in the off-season. When a guy generates unsolicited internal buzz ... that SHOULD cause us to raise our eyebrows. Furthermore, Jones really did produce on the field ... for most of the season, he was a strong contributor for us on special teams! Contributing in any capacity that you can is ALWAYS a hallmark of a good player. While the evidence is entirely circumstantial ... it still seems pretty obvious that the emergence of Jones was a primary reason why Oliver Martin departed the prior year. Jones already was demonstrating that he was good enough ... that Martin called defeat pretty early. When Jones WAS a starter at Buffalo ... he produced! Lastly, the Hawks thought highly enough that they put him on scholarship too!

I fully expect that Jones will likely AT LEAST be our #3 WR in '21 ... and he'll produce while in that position.

However, all that said, I expect that Johnson and Bruce will have plenty of opportunities to earn reps on the field. Should be fun to see how things shake out!

 

[unoHawkeye]

Jones is a threat and a half both downfield and on jet sweeps. Guy is a playmaker and you gotta have them on the field, as I expect the Hawks will. It was a pretty minor quote by KF, but he did go out of his way after the great MSU game Jones had last year to say “He’s a pretty good player on offense, too, so you’ll see him keep working forward that way, as well.” Not exactly a guarantee of a future starting role, but definitely an indicator that we have plans of incorporating him into the offense at some point

 

[RomanHawk]

nm

 

[RomanHawk]

Jones was Iowa's #5 WR last year ... so that already would lead to some limitations on his reps.

When you add to the mix that Iowa had 3 RBs who we really liked in Goodson, Sarge, and IKM ... we played a bunch of sets where we had 2 "skilled" RBs in the backfield. That will further limited the snaps the #5 WR sees.

Lastly, the Hawks are a team that loves their TEs ... and the Hawks had 2 pretty good TEs in LaPorta and Beyer in '20. Consequently, we still used plenty of 2 TE sets ... again, that is something that will limit the number of snaps seen by the #5 WR.

However, given all those considerations ... Tracy raved about Jones in the off-season. When a guy generates unsolicited internal buzz ... that SHOULD cause us to raise our eyebrows. Furthermore, Jones really did produce on the field ... for most of the season, he was a strong contributor for us on special teams! Contributing in any capacity that you can is ALWAYS a hallmark of a good player. While the evidence is entirely circumstantial ... it still seems pretty obvious that the emergence of Jones was a primary reason why Oliver Martin departed the prior year. Jones already was demonstrating that he was good enough ... that Martin called defeat pretty early. When Jones WAS a starter at Buffalo ... he produced! Lastly, the Hawks thought highly enough that they put him on scholarship too!

I fully expect that Jones will likely AT LEAST be our #3 WR in '21 ... and he'll produce while in that position.

However, all that said, I expect that Johnson and Bruce will have plenty of opportunities to earn reps on the field. Should be fun to see how things shake out!

Some good points, but let's get back to the WR position. Your reason for his lack of WR playing time is his being the 5th WR.
Looking at the WR skill sets, his ranking among the 5 seemed to be:
hands #1
speed #2
elusiveness #2
blocking ?
experience #5
That of course is subjective, but it would suggest that if he really was #5 (doubtful), the separation was not sufficient to deny him any opportunity.

 

[HawkOn15]

Some good points, but let's get back to the WR position. Your reason for his lack of WR playing time is his being the 5th WR.
Looking at the WR skill sets, his ranking among the 5 seemed to be:
hands #1
speed #2
elusiveness #2
blocking ?
experience #5
That of course is subjective, but it would suggest that if he really was #5 (doubtful), the separation was not sufficient to deny him any opportunity.

How does he have the best hands when you have never seen him catch a pass.

 

[RomanHawk]

How does he have the best hands when you have never seen him catch a pass.

Did you know that they use the same shaped football for punts and passes?

 

[Johnsoda123]

Some good points, but let's get back to the WR position. Your reason for his lack of WR playing time is his being the 5th WR.
Looking at the WR skill sets, his ranking among the 5 seemed to be:
hands #1
speed #2
elusiveness #2
blocking ?
experience #5
That of course is subjective, but it would suggest that if he really was #5 (doubtful), the separation was not sufficient to deny him any opportunity.

You think he was faster than ISM, 2TTs and Vines? if so, he should have gotten reps.

 

[HawkOn15]

Did you know that they use the same shaped football for punts and passes?

There is no correlation between catching punts and passes. If there was Devin Hester would be considered the best WR of all time.

 

[RomanHawk]

There is no correlation between catching punts and passes. If there was Devin Hester would be considered the best WR of all time.

You can't be serious. There is much, much less correlation between catching a basketball and catching a football, but almost total correlation between catching a spinning vs a tumbling football. The shape does appear to make the difference. The "why" has not been answered, but it's been theorized that the brain
processes differently. But football hands are football hands.

I don't know much about Hester but it's important to note that while hands are an important
factor for a receiver, it's not the only important factor.