Week #3 and we’re hopping back over to offense. Two weeks ago I put some thoughts on the QBs so lets shift and look at who they’ll be throwing to for the most part. Our WR corps has seen a lot of turnover the last two years and besides just a few guys there isn’t a lot of experience in the ranks.
One tough thing here to project is where Jones, the recently announced WR transfer will land.
WR: Ellis Henderson, Cam Warren, Mitch Saylor, Sean Haynes, Taylor Walcott, Chase Naccarato, Kevin Berland, Ryan Burke, Spencer Hale, Jamaal Jones.
Projected Depth (Z, X, Y)
Starters: Ellis Henderson (Soph), Taylor Walcott (Soph), Cam Warren (Senior)
Backup: Mitch Saylor (Junior), Sean Haynes (Junior), Kevin Berland (Senior)
Depth: Spencer Hale (Junior), Ryan Burke (RS Frosh), Chase Naccarato (Soph)
? – Jamaal Jones (Soph)
Red Shirt – Probably all incoming freshman
Strengths/Weaknesses
Ellis Henderson – The returning WR with the most receiving yards last year with a whopping 360 and 2 TDs. Henderson has shown some play making ability, he’s a good catch and run player and can beat defenders deep as well. His issue last year (like all WRs) was a consistent QB that could find them open. Many times a wide open Henderson saw passes sail too far over his head to be caught. That said, Ellis could be our main returner as well, however he’ll need to keep improving on catching the ball clean. He’s in line for a huge year, JJ seems to like throwing him the ball a lot and I’m looking forward to seeing how this combo will work together. Last season we saw Ellis make a few mistakes on the field that you see in younger players, I hope he’s improved on this and learned from those. Also needs to keep working to improve his run blocking.
Taylor Walcott – In spring ball Taylor hopped over Mitch Saylor and while I’m not sure I think he held it through most of camp. Walcott IMO is going to become a solid Griz WR, he’s a physical player and very quick out of his stance. He has good hands and isn’t afraid to take hard hits to pull the ball in. This off-season a little more bulking up/muscle will go a long ways for Taylor.
Cam Warren – Maybe one of the shiftiest WRs in the group, I still recall him faking a few DBs right out of their cleats last year. Cam will start at slot WR. He’s a known quantity, good hands, quick runner, and can make guys miss. The challenge of course is Cam doesn’t provide the size Sam Gratton did for blocking and he’s dealt with multiple injury issues for years. I hope for his senior year Cam can stay healthy because I could easily see him with 500+ yards and 5 or more TDs.
Mitch Saylor – Saylor is our big possession WR. I expect he’ll see a lot of jump balls come his way, especially in the end zone. Mitch has been in the same boat as Warren to some extent with injury issues, hopefully he’s beyond that. He’s not the guy with game- breaking speed, but he’s no slouch. He need to keep improving on catching and trying to get separation from corners that play tight coverage.
Sean Haynes – Will 2013 be the year we finally see Sean Haynes tear it up? I sure hope so, usually at the FCS level you don’t see guys like him 6-3, 185 pounds, and very fast. That size and speed combo usually lands in the FBS. Sean looked like he was poised to break out in 2012 but a quiet summer and fall camp and then the passing woes of last year (add in some injuries) slowed him down. He made a few plays this spring but still seemed like the guy I saw in last year’s fall camp compared to last year’s spring camp. Haynes has shown great speed and really good hands. Maybe it’s just in his head, I hope he comes into fall camp lit on fire and ready to go.
Kevin Berland – Maybe one of the bigger surprises to me in spring camp was the emergence of Kevin Berland. He was a popular target and had one monster scrimmage with over 100 receiving yards plus a TD. At this point I’m putting Kevin over Chase Naccarato as backup in the slot. And given Cam Warren’s injury history Kevin might be a guy we finally see out there. He’s deceptively quick and pretty good at hauling in most passes. This guy is another one of the few Hauck recruits left on the team. It’s his last year and I think he’s going to contribute a bit (or a lot of Warren gets dinged up again). Run-blocking is an issue, overall size – much like all the slot WRs on this team is also an issue.
Spencer Hale – A fairly quiet spring as Spencer worked with Ryan Burke in the 3rd string group. Gustafson was their QB for the most part. Saw some good catches while taking hard hits from him. Spencer is a tweener, doesn’t have the size that more Z and X WRs have or the top speed. He works hard on the team and is good in spot roles. I think he’ll be a good ST contributor this year.
Ryan Burke – Ryan’s redshirt year did him good, his fall camp was pretty quiet but he started making plays this spring. He’s buried in depth, as most RS Frosh are on teams. 2013 will probably be a quiet year for Ryan but 2014 and beyond are bright. He’s a taller kid that can jump over coverage, as he adds more muscle and strength this off-season/year he’ll be ready for a bigger role in 2014.
Chase Naccarato – Not sure what happened with Chase, I think he was in and out a lot in spring camp and missed a good chunk of time. He was kind of thrust into helping out in 2012 and it didn’t come with the best results, including a KR fumble. I never saw him field a kickoff in any of the scrimmages but he might be a guy they call on in the return game. He’s very fast. Needs to improve following blockers and consistent play.
Jamaal Jones – I just put a ? on him for two reasons. First of all we usually don’t see late transfers that miss spring ball show up and make a huge impact right away. There’s usually adaptation to the QBs, coaches, and system. Secondly, all I have to really go off on him is a high school highlight reel – which is supposed to make every kid look great. Jones in high school looked to line up in the slot a bunch. I don’t know if they’re actually planning to do that at UM or split him out wide. We’ll have to see. He gets good separation and once the ball is in his hands he’s a good looking playmaker. Could be a guy that works his way in through the season – looks really comfortable with screens and quick plays. Sounds like catching/hands were a big issue at UW and in High School though.
One tough thing here to project is where Jones, the recently announced WR transfer will land.
WR: Ellis Henderson, Cam Warren, Mitch Saylor, Sean Haynes, Taylor Walcott, Chase Naccarato, Kevin Berland, Ryan Burke, Spencer Hale, Jamaal Jones.
Projected Depth (Z, X, Y)
Starters: Ellis Henderson (Soph), Taylor Walcott (Soph), Cam Warren (Senior)
Backup: Mitch Saylor (Junior), Sean Haynes (Junior), Kevin Berland (Senior)
Depth: Spencer Hale (Junior), Ryan Burke (RS Frosh), Chase Naccarato (Soph)
? – Jamaal Jones (Soph)
Red Shirt – Probably all incoming freshman
Strengths/Weaknesses
Ellis Henderson – The returning WR with the most receiving yards last year with a whopping 360 and 2 TDs. Henderson has shown some play making ability, he’s a good catch and run player and can beat defenders deep as well. His issue last year (like all WRs) was a consistent QB that could find them open. Many times a wide open Henderson saw passes sail too far over his head to be caught. That said, Ellis could be our main returner as well, however he’ll need to keep improving on catching the ball clean. He’s in line for a huge year, JJ seems to like throwing him the ball a lot and I’m looking forward to seeing how this combo will work together. Last season we saw Ellis make a few mistakes on the field that you see in younger players, I hope he’s improved on this and learned from those. Also needs to keep working to improve his run blocking.
Taylor Walcott – In spring ball Taylor hopped over Mitch Saylor and while I’m not sure I think he held it through most of camp. Walcott IMO is going to become a solid Griz WR, he’s a physical player and very quick out of his stance. He has good hands and isn’t afraid to take hard hits to pull the ball in. This off-season a little more bulking up/muscle will go a long ways for Taylor.
Cam Warren – Maybe one of the shiftiest WRs in the group, I still recall him faking a few DBs right out of their cleats last year. Cam will start at slot WR. He’s a known quantity, good hands, quick runner, and can make guys miss. The challenge of course is Cam doesn’t provide the size Sam Gratton did for blocking and he’s dealt with multiple injury issues for years. I hope for his senior year Cam can stay healthy because I could easily see him with 500+ yards and 5 or more TDs.
Mitch Saylor – Saylor is our big possession WR. I expect he’ll see a lot of jump balls come his way, especially in the end zone. Mitch has been in the same boat as Warren to some extent with injury issues, hopefully he’s beyond that. He’s not the guy with game- breaking speed, but he’s no slouch. He need to keep improving on catching and trying to get separation from corners that play tight coverage.
Sean Haynes – Will 2013 be the year we finally see Sean Haynes tear it up? I sure hope so, usually at the FCS level you don’t see guys like him 6-3, 185 pounds, and very fast. That size and speed combo usually lands in the FBS. Sean looked like he was poised to break out in 2012 but a quiet summer and fall camp and then the passing woes of last year (add in some injuries) slowed him down. He made a few plays this spring but still seemed like the guy I saw in last year’s fall camp compared to last year’s spring camp. Haynes has shown great speed and really good hands. Maybe it’s just in his head, I hope he comes into fall camp lit on fire and ready to go.
Kevin Berland – Maybe one of the bigger surprises to me in spring camp was the emergence of Kevin Berland. He was a popular target and had one monster scrimmage with over 100 receiving yards plus a TD. At this point I’m putting Kevin over Chase Naccarato as backup in the slot. And given Cam Warren’s injury history Kevin might be a guy we finally see out there. He’s deceptively quick and pretty good at hauling in most passes. This guy is another one of the few Hauck recruits left on the team. It’s his last year and I think he’s going to contribute a bit (or a lot of Warren gets dinged up again). Run-blocking is an issue, overall size – much like all the slot WRs on this team is also an issue.
Spencer Hale – A fairly quiet spring as Spencer worked with Ryan Burke in the 3rd string group. Gustafson was their QB for the most part. Saw some good catches while taking hard hits from him. Spencer is a tweener, doesn’t have the size that more Z and X WRs have or the top speed. He works hard on the team and is good in spot roles. I think he’ll be a good ST contributor this year.
Ryan Burke – Ryan’s redshirt year did him good, his fall camp was pretty quiet but he started making plays this spring. He’s buried in depth, as most RS Frosh are on teams. 2013 will probably be a quiet year for Ryan but 2014 and beyond are bright. He’s a taller kid that can jump over coverage, as he adds more muscle and strength this off-season/year he’ll be ready for a bigger role in 2014.
Chase Naccarato – Not sure what happened with Chase, I think he was in and out a lot in spring camp and missed a good chunk of time. He was kind of thrust into helping out in 2012 and it didn’t come with the best results, including a KR fumble. I never saw him field a kickoff in any of the scrimmages but he might be a guy they call on in the return game. He’s very fast. Needs to improve following blockers and consistent play.
Jamaal Jones – I just put a ? on him for two reasons. First of all we usually don’t see late transfers that miss spring ball show up and make a huge impact right away. There’s usually adaptation to the QBs, coaches, and system. Secondly, all I have to really go off on him is a high school highlight reel – which is supposed to make every kid look great. Jones in high school looked to line up in the slot a bunch. I don’t know if they’re actually planning to do that at UM or split him out wide. We’ll have to see. He gets good separation and once the ball is in his hands he’s a good looking playmaker. Could be a guy that works his way in through the season – looks really comfortable with screens and quick plays. Sounds like catching/hands were a big issue at UW and in High School though.
