Position Breakdown: Top 2024 Wide Receivers For 2023 Season

In the third installment of our ‘Position Breakdown' series, we take a look at the top 2024 wide receivers for the 2023 season (listed in alphabetical order)   [player_tooltip player_id='275206' first='Mason' last='Espinda-McChriston'], Bernalillo: Mason's father is the defensive coordinator at Bernalillo and he has at least two talented football-playing sons. Jahvon Maes-McChriston signed with New Mexico Highlands a few weeks ago, and soon thereafter NMHU offered the 6-foot-4 Mason, who had 47 receptions for 712 yards and 4 TD in 2022. He's also an outstanding defensive player as evidenced by his 79 tackles, 14 passes defended and 2 INT last season. Bernalillo should be much improved from a win-loss perspective in 2023.       [player_tooltip player_id='590222' first='Melaki' last='Gutierrez'], Los Alamos: Three words best describe Gutierrez: speed, speed, speed. Gutierrez runs the 40 in about 4.4 seconds and blazes the 100 in under 10.9 seconds. He'll be a strong contender for the ‘King of Speed' crown. He's the defending Class 4A state champion in the 100 and 200 meters. With Los Alamos QB Zach Stidham returning, Gutierrez could double his 2022 regular season production of 29 receptions for 502 yards and 5 TD.           [player_tooltip player_id='274790' first='Jackson' last='Hix'], La Cueva: How many other teams in New Mexico had their No. 2 WR make 66 receptions for over 1,000 yards and 14 TD during the 2022 season? Answer: Few, if any. With [player_tooltip player_id='270020' first='Ian' last='Sanchez'] graduating, Hix ascends to the No. 1 WR spot for La Cueva and he'll catch plenty of passes from new starting QB [player_tooltip player_id='611098' first='Cameron' last='Dyer']. Don't expect the Bears to suffer much of a letdown after reaching the 6A championship game in November.   [player_tooltip player_id='275074' first='Bishop' last='Ortega'], Cleveland: Also an impressive rugby player, Ortega will be counted on by the Storm to emerge as a leader in the WR corps. Eighty-six percent (86%) of the receptions for Cleveland in 2022 were made by seniors (107 of 125). Ortega is a key piece of the new wave for the Storm.         [player_tooltip player_id='275042' first='Drew' last='Perez'], Bloomfield: Perez helped key Bloomfield's surge to the Class 4A title as one of the top two-way players in the classification. Offensively, he caught 60 passes for 1,102 yards and 17 TD while making 49 tackles and 8 interceptions on defense. Many of Bloomfield's best players from last season are graduating but Perez will be back and the Bobcats are counting on him to lead the charge as they seek to defend the title.            [player_tooltip player_id='274705' first='Marquise' last='Renfro'], Atrisco Heritage: Renfro is one of several standout offensive players returning in 2023 for Atrisco Heritage. They already had one of the most explosive offenses, with Renfro contributing 1,000 all-purpose yards – rushing, receiving and special teams. Now the Jaguars need to shore up the defense. If they do, watch out.   [player_tooltip player_id='275041' first='Baylor' last='Seabolt'], Aztec: Seabolt had an outstanding junior season for an Aztec team that reached the Class 4A quarterfinals. He sparked the Tigers as a rusher (team-high 333 yards), receiver (58 receptions for 643 yards and 6 TD) and defender (staggering 130 tackles and 15.5 TFL on defense).  Seabolt is one of the best all-around players in Class 4A. At the moment he's flying under the radar but that should change by the end of the 2023 season.        [player_tooltip player_id='274788' first='Ashton' last='Thompson'], Eunice: Few Class 2A players go on and play at the next level but Thompson certainly possesses the talent to do so. He has the height (6-foot-0) college coaches want and the skill level they crave. Thompson had 53 receptions for 770 yards and 13 TD in 2022 as a junior. And he lives in a  community where high school football is VERY important. Sometimes, that matters.   [player_tooltip player_id='274796' first='Fabian' last='Trujillo'], Los Lunas: The first year in Class 6A for Los Lunas was a little bumpy at times as seen by a four-game losing streak beginning in Week 3. But the Tigers bounced back to win five straight – and the  district championship - and earn a spot in the 6A playoffs. Trujillo helped the Tigers get there with 32 receptions for 749 yards and 10 TD. He averaged 23.4 yards per reception. He was also Los Lunas' primary kick returner and finished with 1,307 all-purpose yards. Trujillo gives Los Lunas some stability as they begin the post-[player_tooltip player_id='137885' first='Paul' last='Cieremans'] Era.      [player_tooltip player_id='274792' first='Marcus' last='Wilson'], Cibola:  Wilson is best known in New Mexico for being an elite basketball prospect, but he's a very good football player as well. He utilizes his athleticism to beat defenders and win 50-50 balls. Last season he caught 34 passes for 356 yards and 8 TD. Cibola will have a new quarterback in 2023, so with hoops season ending this month, Wilson will look to build chemistry with the new signal caller.   NOTE: Artesia WR [player_tooltip player_id='274793' first='Peyton' last='Greathouse'] is currently our #1 WR prospect in the updated 2024 rankings. However, Greathouse recently moved to Tennessee and is attending Independence High School in Thompson's Station, located south of Nashville.   HONORABLE MENTION: [player_tooltip player_id='275436' first='Josiah' last='Mitchell'] (Eldorado); [player_tooltip player_id='274989' first='Juelz' last='Hartzog'] (Volcano Vista); [player_tooltip player_id='340259' first='Manuel' last='Gonzales'] (Grants); Kevin Villalobos (Dexter); [player_tooltip player_id='590308' first='Matthew' last='Saiz'] (Artesia); [player_tooltip player_id='592369' first='Jeremiah' last='Jaquez'] (Hobbs); [player_tooltip player_id='340311' first='Ricky' last='Martinez'] (West Mesa); [player_tooltip player_id='592093' first='Logan' last='Sandoval'] (Ruidoso); [player_tooltip player_id='591958' first='Zane' last='Mayberry'] (Portales); [player_tooltip player_id='591998' first='Julian' last='Richard'] (Silver); [player_tooltip player_id='275601' first='Shawn' last='Armijo'] (Bernalillo); [player_tooltip player_id='275593' first='Cesar' last='Gonzalez'] (Lovington); Moosie Neel (St. Pius X).   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/mason_espinda/status/1626783222926577667?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/MelakiGutierrez/status/1630011887961223170?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/hix_jackson/status/1611222944604119043?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Ortega_51_/status/1632819334882947072 </div></figure>

In the third installment of our ‘Position Breakdown' series, we take a look at the top 2024 wide receivers for the 2023 season (listed in alphabetical order)