High Talent Level, Low Recognition: Wide Receivers

Welcome to part 3 of our series where I dive into each position and highlight players who really caught my eye during our rankings update because of how much of a gap there was between their talent level and the amount of recruiting attention they have received so far. We have already covered the QB and RB position groups. Today we are going to take a look at the WR group and find the receivers who seem to be flying under the radar this summer. For each athlete we will take a quick look at their film, and provide their current offers and interest. I highly recommend checking out the film of these athletes. They should all be targets for the D2-D3 levels. Let’s get into it! [player_tooltip player_id="118300" first="Daeshon" last="Benson"], 6’6" 220- Hamilton Season Stats: Season Cancelled Due to Covid Daeshon was apart of the athletes who got the short end of the stick when it came to the Covid shutdowns as the Milwaukee area schools didn’t play in the fall or spring seasons. Because of that he doesn’t have any recent film for college programs to see. What he does have is sophomore film that show the beginnings of a potentially dominant outside WR/TE. Benson comes with one of the more impressive frames in the state at 6’6" 220 lbs, and his body control at that size makes him a monster at the catch point. As a sophomore, you can see that the play speed was already there as he proved that he could run by them downfield and that before mentioned body control allows him to be an effective route runner. Despite no junior season, Daeshon hasn’t gone completely quiet on the recruiting trail. He has earned one D2 offer from Concordia- St. Paul, but I have a feeling his play this fall is going to earn him a lot more. This is a name you are going to want to have highlighted as one to watch this fall. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13252601/602f2c865b47180abce6b769">Daeshon’s Sophomore Film</a> [player_tooltip player_id="118314" first="Sam" last="Peiffer"], 6’1" 180- Cedar Grove- Belgium Season Stats: 33 Receptions, 623 Receiving Yds, 15 TDs It’s surprising to see Sam on this list. Wherever you look he shows that he has what it takes to play at the next level. The stats show a huge playmaker as he turns almost half his receptions into scores. He has been killing it on the camp circuit posting times of 4.53 in the 40, and 4.10 in the pro agility along with 10’3" broad jump, and a 35.5" vertical jump. So, the athletic profile is there to go along with his solid frame. Then on film you see it all come together. I’ve been a big fan of his film since last fall. His hand eye coordination, and some of the concentration catches he made in 2020 are at a level that tell me he has what it takes to play at the next level. It’s time for more teams to take notice of the athlete out of Cedar Grove- Belgium. To date, Sam has earned one offer from D2 competitior Upper Iowa. It’s going to be a big fall for Sam. Get on him early before everyone else. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11519545/5f789bea57976107703cecdc">Sam’s Junior Film</a> [player_tooltip player_id="118346" first="Jack" last="Janke"], 6’1" 200- Ellsworth Season Stats: 38 Receptions, 739 Receiving Yds, 10 TDs, 3 INTs Next up we have an intriguing two way prospect out of Ellsworth High School. Jack already has the size to be able to step right in at the next level, and he has the straight line athleticism to be able to continue making the big plays that he has become known for. The two most impressive parts of Jack’s game are at the catch point, and his play after the catch. At the catch point, Jack plucks the ball out of the air and he does a really good job of adjusting his body as well as going up and getting it over DBs. After the catch, Janke flashes impressive strength as he runs through tackle attempts or throws defenders to the ground with a strong stiff arm. On defense, the film shows an athlete with the quick recognition skills and play speed to cover a deep half and generate turnovers. Not sure why Jack has flown under the radar so much. I haven’t seen any graphics or offers posted on his twitter. That will be changing this fall when he continues making the big plays. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/7909354/5f7bc5e2041df409d8dd395e">Jack’s Junior Film</a> [player_tooltip player_id="31230" first="Collin" last="Argue"], 6’3" 185- Arrowhead Season Stats: 12 Receptions, 139 Receiving Yds I’ve been a believer in Collin for the past year. He has been a little down the depth chart because of a solid WR room in 2020, but with the graduation of the team’s leading receiver the door is open for Collin to continue stepping into a larger and larger role. Then he will be able to show off the talent that has landed him in this article. I don’t have an official timed speed, but the play speed is evident. You can just look at the way they defend him with 10 yard cushions throughout his film, and the way he can run away from defenders in the open field. Pairing that speed with his excellent length at 6’3" and you get a WR set to go off this fall. Argue isn’t afraid to do the dirty work either. His film is full of reps with him going over the middle and hauling in passes with defenders closing in from all sides. His sideline awareness and body control are also positives to his game. To date, Collin holds one offer from the University of Chicago. The potential is there for him to have a strong fall. Breakout candidate to know! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11268534/5fc433d53deab706c0c18005">Collin’s Junior Film</a> [player_tooltip player_id="118390" first="Elliott" last="Lowney"], 5’11" 160- Shawano Community Season Stats: 54 Receptions, 1,017 Receiving Yards, 10 TDs Our next under the radar WR prospect is one of the top returning stat monsters from last season. Elliott ended the year as one of the very few 1,000 yard receivers in the shortened Covid season. He isn’t just a stat padder either. The kid has legitimate talent that should have the eyes of the D2-D3 levels. The track speed is there as he advanced to state in the 200M and 400M races this past spring. Elliott has the short area agility and burst to go along with the long speed to make defenders miss in a phone booth. Lowney is at his most dangerous after the catch. Defenders need to be on him the second he makes the catch or he is going to make them miss if he gets any sort of space and be gone for a huge gain. The offense understood how dangerous he is with the ball too as his film is full of him running drag routes across the middle, and bubble screens. Then as soon as the defense presses he burns them deep. So far, it looks like Elliott has landed an offer. He has received a lot of D2 interest though. With another strong season we could see those turn into an elusive offer. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11300854/5f7f1b05d469570050b026ce">Elliott’s Junior Film</a> [player_tooltip player_id="31345" first="Alex" last="Heran"], 6’ 180- Appleton North Season Stats: 29 Receptions, 376 Receiving Yds, 4 TDs In the slot, out wide, in a crowd, or wide open down the field it doesn’t matter. [player_tooltip player_id="31345" first="Alex" last="Heran"] is going to come down with the ball. Heran has very strong hands to bring in passes in traffic. If he can get his hands on the ball he will figure out a way to haul it in. I also really like how much you could see his awareness show up, whether that’s along the sideline or trying to pick up critical first downs and making sure that he is running his route past the sticks. His ability to consistently create separation with his route running is another major strength of his game. He spent this spring being an under the radar prospect, but I think he is going to really surprise teams at the next level with his play this fall. The targets will be there as he is the only returning receiver with double digit catches last season. Breakout coming. Be there when it happens. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/8083309/60a19668344a310894984dfc">Heran’s Junior Film</a> [player_tooltip player_id="118436" first="Riley" last="Weyh"], 6’ 185- Baraboo Season Stats: 24 Receptions, 354 Receiving Yds, 5 TDs Baraboo’s offense stuck to the ground game pretty heavily due to the dominant running of QB/LB [player_tooltip player_id="31225" first="Luna" last="Larson"], but when they did take to the air you knew where it was going. It was going to #17 [player_tooltip player_id="118436" first="Riley" last="Weyh"] who was the only receiver on the team with 10+ receptions, 200+ yards, and 2+ TDs. Despite being such a heavily targeted playmaker defenders couldn’t seem to slow him down. The three sport athlete, and two way football player, has all the athletic ability to continue beating DBs deep and going up and over them for the football. His concentration at the catch point in traffic really stands out as he does whatever he needs to to bring in the pass. The film proves that Riley can take the top off the defense from the slot or out wide, and if he gets a clean release he is going to burst right past the DBs guarding him. I’m surprised there aren’t any graphics or offers on his twitter account. The kid can play and should have the interest of the D3 level, and potentially more. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/7695431/5f9b6e6cf55feb13b482aff6">Riley’s Junior Film</a> [player_tooltip player_id="118440" first="Alexander" last="Schmitz"], 6’3" 180- Big Foot Season Stats: 21 Receptions, 461 Receiving Yds, 6 TDs I believe that Alex is the best at tracking the football in the air in this group and one of the best in his class. His ability to find the ball and quickly adjust so that he always has the advantage when he goes up for it is special. Having his long arms and 6’3" frame helps quite a bit too. I have it noted that he ran a 4.85 40, but he plays faster. The film shows an athlete that can consistently stretch the field, and if he can’t outrun his DB he can always go over the top of him for the catch with his large catch radius. One of the most intriguing parts of his game is that his frame looks like it can handle another 10+ lbs, which would make him even harder to bring down after the catch. There is a lot of raw tools to work with here. So far we haven’t seen any offers for the Big Foot receiver, but he has received interest. If he can take the next step forward this fall then you can bet the offers will follow closely behind. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12762213/609a8e588cdeed0a34c68b62">Alex’s Junior Film</a>