Class of 2020 Players to Watch – Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

The fourth in northstarfootballnews.com's series of guys to watch stories switches back to the skill position guys and wraps up our look at the offense. Here are ten of the wide receivers and tight ends to watch for this season. While there is some excellent top-end talent in this class, at this point the wide receiver position is not as deep as other positions, so I decided to add tight ends into the same story. <strong>Jonathan Mann Rosemount WR</strong> Mann committed to Minnesota a year ago. Before committing, he also had offers from Arkansas, Iowa and Iowa State. Mann can line up wide, in the slot and in addition to catching the ball, can pick up yards on the ground. He actually had more rushing yards than receiving yards his senior year. While Mann has good speed, he has a big body and can use it to create space. He can get separation deep but can also go across the middle and can recognize coverages and break off a route. <strong>Wyatt Schroeder St. Francis TE</strong> Schroeder just received his first FBS offer from Buffalo. He also has junior day/game day invites to Iowa, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Iowa, and Iowa State. Schroeder can line up all over the field. He lines up at tight end, out wide and even in the backfield. Schroeder uses his hands and body well to make contested and jump ball type catches. At this stage, he is more of a receiver than a blocker, but Schroeder can still set the edge when he gets an angle on the defender. <strong>Russell Corrigan Hutchinson TE</strong> [caption id="attachment_6620" align="alignright" width="300"] Russell Corrigan[/caption] Corrigan recently picked up offers from Wyoming and Eastern Michigan to go along with earlier offers from UNI, UND, and South Dakota. He has junior day or game day invites from NDSU, SDSU, Dartmouth, and Minnesota. Corrigan is a physical, straight-line blocker who can move defenders off the ball. He explodes into his blocks and gets his pad level underneath defenders. As a receiver, he has good body control and footwork. Usually, he lines up in the traditional tight end position but also is comfortable lining up wide. <strong>Spencer Spaude Mankato West TE</strong> Spaude has multiple junior day/game day invites, including Iowa State, Northern Illinois, SDSU, UND, South Dakota, Princeton, and Minnesota-Duluth. I believe because of his 6'5" frame, Spaude is projected as a tight end, but as a junior with the Scarlets, he played most often as a wide receiver. Out wide he does a great job using his height to his advantage. He can position his body and come up with most 50/50 balls. A long-striding athlete, Spaude has smooth, straight-line speed. His hands allow him to adjust to less than perfect throws. <strong>Trey Toner Spring Lake Park TE</strong> Toner has junior day/game day invites to NDSU, UND, Wofford, Minnesota, Iowa State, and has an offer from Concordia-St. Paul. He is a big, physical tight end who does a great job coming off his initial block, passing his man off to his lineman and then getting a block at the second level. He can bury guys coming straight off the ball, and he can also use his feet to stay with quicker guys as they move down the line of scrimmage. He doesn't get many opportunities to catch the ball in Spring Lake Park's offense but shows capable hands on underneath throws. <strong>Jaice Miller Champlin Park WR</strong> Miller has offers from both SDSU and UND. He has a great set of hands and made many contested catches during his junior season. Usually lined up on the outside, he has a big catch radius and doesn't always need both hands to make a catch. A deep threat who can run with anyone, Miller also has excellent footwork around the boundary. <strong>Ryan Samuelson Jordan WR</strong> Samuelson has had junior day/game day invites to NDSU, SDSU, UND, and Minnesota. A big play receiver, he averaged over twenty yards a catch as a junior. He uses his height and hands well – high pointing the ball both on 50/50 balls and fade routes. The junior has good feet and awareness near the sidelines. He uses his long strides to create separation and is faster than his long-striding style makes it appear. <strong>Kham Chiaokhiao-Bowman Robbinsdale Armstrong WR</strong> So far, Chiaokhiao-Bowman has junior day/game day invites UND, South Dakota, Minnesota, and NDSU. He has excellent straight-line speed but is also explosive out of his breaks. He is more agile in the open field than his tall, lean body type would suggest. He adjusts to low throws below his knees and uses his hands well. <strong>Damari Porter Blaine WR</strong> With junior day/game day invites NDSU, SDSU, and South Dakota, Porter is a physical receiver who is not afraid to take a hit. He can make catches while being hit and can break tackles in the open field after making the catch. While he can make catches on the outside, Porter is most effective in the middle of the field running seam routes and deep crossing routes. <strong>Raja Nelson Lakeville North WR</strong> I am not sure where to put Nelson in these stories. I have not started looking at the defensive backs yet, but my instincts tell me Nelson will show up later when I look at the defensive backs. Right now, Nelson has a UND offer, as well as invites to Minnesota, Michigan St, Iowa St, and SDSU. He is one of the most versatile players in this class. Although he is not big or physical enough to play running back full-time, he is almost as likely to line up in the backfield and take a handoff as he is to line up outside. He has quick feet, solid speed and can make all the catches.