5 Arizona Receivers Having Breakout Seasons

There has been a high level of productivity from Arizona receivers and it has been exciting to witness throughout the first 3 weeks. All of these guys have shown the ability to break the game open in one play, and nobody has been able to slow them down. Here are five receivers busting loose this season: [player_tooltip player_id="42705" first="Eric" last="Lira"], Mesquite HS (C/O 2021) Lira is one of the most slept on players in the state. He has 9 TD’s with 371 yards in 3 games played, making him a reliable TD machine for [player_tooltip player_id="42581" first="Ty" last="Thompson"]. He shows a good burst out of breaks into his routes, and can take the top off the defense as he has cooked DB’s with posts, deep corners and vertical routes. He shows excellent route integrity with a good football IQ to continue in the direction of the flow of a busted play. He has done a great job of running up the DB’s toes to set up his routes. He can play from the slot or the outside and looks like a natural pass catcher. Lira is on pace to lead the state in receiving TD’s.<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-59771" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/IMG_4476-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> [player_tooltip player_id="42787" first="Kyion" last="Grayes"], Chandler HS (C/O 2022) Grayes is possibly the most electric player in the state. He holds 313 yards and 6 TD’s, and his play time has been cut short due to Chandler blowing out everyone they have played. He is Arizona’s most complete receiver. He’s a lean build with excellent speed and agility and can be utilized in every passing concept. He does an outstanding job of setting up his routes as he accelerates out of bursts and can stop or cut on a dime, which creates massive separation. He hits top speed very quick and is extremely shifty and elusive with the ball. Although he committed to the University of Arizona, he has just picked up an offer from Ohio State. He still has another year left after this, so it will be very interesting to see what plays out. [player_tooltip player_id="42753" first="Cameron" last="Garcia"], Apache Junction HS (C/O 2021) Garcia is leading the state in receiving yards through 3 weeks with 462 yards while adding 3 TD’s. At 5’9" 150lbs, he is primarily at slot and has been the most reliable target for Apache Junction. He is a precise route runner with good short area quickness. He has excellent hand-eye coordination as he is able to find and catch balls through traffic, and can adjust his body to make athletic catches. He has room to put on size, and could find himself as a slot at the college level. [player_tooltip player_id="42594" first="Isaiah" last="Newcombe"], Casteel HS (C/O 2021)<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-24526" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/06/Generic-Featured-Image-3-300x187.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="187" /> The UCLA commit is having a solid year with 434 yards and 4 TD’s thus far. He has proven to be one of the best deep threats in the state as he a burner down the field by consistently taking the top off defenses. He shows excellent speed and has done a great job getting himself stacked over DB’s. He has an excellent release as he has quick, smooth footwork with jittery head movement off the line of scrimmage.  He disguises his routes well, and his speed is lethal as he can still get over the top of DB’s playing 8-10 yards off, then break into a comeback creating huge separation. [player_tooltip player_id="42729" first="Branson" last="Heywood"], Higley HS, (C/O 2021) I mentioned him in the pre-season as a sleeper to bust loose, and he is doing exactly that thus far. He has 404 yards receiving and 1 TD. Heywood has great body control by being able to adjust and catch the ball at awkward angles. He has done a great job of forcing specific releases when needed. He doesn’t shy away from contact and is a sneaky physical ball carrier. Heywood is explosive out of breaks which helps him generate notable separation. He is shifty and slippery in open space, and has shown potential to be a big play threat. He is extremely reliable for Higley, and he will have his biggest test yet as he faces Chandler this week.