Wide receivers continue to build depth
The 2020 NFL Draft will be loaded with talent at the wide receiver position and our live blog noted the action of a few of those players throughout the day, some who played and some who didn’t.
AJ Schulte, at 3:16 PM, thought Texas WR Collin Johnson played his final game as a Longhorn. Johnson has been battling injuries and did not play in Texas’ loss Saturday to Baylor. Johnson already accepted his invitation to the 2020 Senior Bowl. Johnson has 35 catches for 497 yards and two touchdowns.
Later in the day, Pauline highlighted another receiver who could also enter the NFL Draft and that’s Tyler Vaughns of USC. Here’s the 3:40 PM update.
“I continue to hear USC receiver Tyler Vaughns, who I’ve spoken about in glowing terms all season, is very likely to enter the draft.”
Vaughn is having a very nice season for the Trojans with 68 catches for 858 yards and six touchdowns this season. The same could be said about another wide receiver in the state of Texas. The love just keeps on coming for Baylor WR Denzel Mims.
A.J. Schulte wrote at 5:50 PM, “because it just happened on my screen, that catch by Baylor WR Denzel Mims was incredible, showing off his length and body control. He has a way of making crazy contested catches, but dropping the easy ones. Increasing his consistency will be key for his NFL stock.”
Mims has been a big reason Baylor is ranked in the top 15 and has just one loss on the season. He has 57 catches for 892 yards and 11 touchdowns. He posted a 7/125/1 line in the win over Texas, clinching a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game for the Bears.
Collin Johnson isn’t the only Texas wide receiver making noise. Devin Duvernay continues his rise. At 6:07 PM, A.J. Schulte posted this update on the Longhorn.
“Texas WR Devin Duvernay has stepped up with Collin Johnson out once more. He’s an electric playmaker with great hands and route-running skills and will make some noise for himself in the Senior Bowl. I’ve constantly labeled him as the WR to make a McLaurin-level rise in the offseason, and he should be drafted high come the 2020 NFL Draft.”
Finally, at 10:55 PM, Nick Farabaugh touched on Arizona State WR Brandon Aiyuk, who hauled in an 81-yard touchdown reception and helped the Sun Devils pull off a huge 31-28 upset of Oregon, knocking the Ducks out of the playoff picture.
“Brandon Aiyuk has been huge for the Arizona State Sun Devils all season and he continues to be just that tonight as well. He just had a huge 81-yard touchdown that was completely created off of his speed and ability to make magic happen after the catch.
Aiyuk has 161 yards receiving now and he is looking to really raise his stock into the middle of day two of the NFL Draft. With his dynamic ability to change games, he has a good chance to do just that. I currently have a third-round pick on Aiyuk and he is a top fifteen receiver for me due to his great skillset.”
