Another good article from Mickey....

Clemson Wide Receivers
Clemson Wide ReceiversI had a great week on vacation last week but it was nice to get back to the radio show this morning and I hope everyone is ready to get back into our position previews this week on the blog and radio show.


The Tigers will miss Chansi Stuckey this year because of his talent on the field and leadership off of it. He was a guy that was close to being a complete football player. Stuckey was a hard worker and did the little things well. Clemson will be able to fill his shoes on the field easier than they will off of the field.


With that said, I believe in this talented group of wide outs. I feel like I can trust Rendrick Taylor. I believe Aaron Kelly is back from a slight sophomore slump. Taylor Grisham is dependable. Jacoby Ford is about to explode. Xavier Dye, Jeff Ogren, Brandon Clear and maybe Markish Jones will be a talented group of freshmen. All of these guys have strengths and weaknesses but as a whole I see more positives than negatives.


Rendrick Taylor is the wide out that I trust the most. Now, he has been injured and the coaching staff brags on Aaron Kelly and others more often but Taylor is my guy. His detractors will say that he is always hurt but my answer is that he was not hurt in high school and his two college injuries were kind of a fluke. In my opinion, Taylor is a leader that leads in the classroom, weight room, and practice field. I think his teammates can count on Taylor as much as any player on this squad. I believe will show how accountable he is this year on the field.


Taylor runs better than anyone I have seen for his frame. He also catches the ball well. I think his role will include underneath balls, slants and even deep balls. He is a big target who can adjust to deep balls in the air. I also believe Taylor can be a dependable third down receiver because he is such a big target. When Taylor was injured last season it seemed the Tigers missed his presence. They also missed his blocking as much as anything else. I would look for big things from Taylor this season.


Coming out of the spring Clemson wide receiver coach Dabo Swinney raved about Aaron Kelly. Swinney said he had the best spring of any wide out in the program and he thought Kelly was poised for a big year. As a freshmen Kelly had big catches including a terrific touchdown against FSU. However, last year he had a down year by some standards. My major problem with his sophomore season was his blocking effort. I think he was gotten bigger and stronger and I hope he will improve his effort in the blocking efforts this season. As a receiver Kelly excels in the other aspects of the game. He can be a deep threat and also is excellent in the jump ball situations. I believe Swinney when he says Kelly is poised for bigger things in 2008.


Tyler Grisham has continued to progress in his career and his roles continues to increase. Grisham is usually a sure handed receiver but had a couple of drops last season. The Alabama native runs a little better than people think and is one of the top blockers at his position. I still believe that Grisham is dependable and is a good teammate that is accountable.


Jacoby Ford had a good freshman season and I think is about to explode in this offense. Ford is as fast as any player I have seen at Clemson and the staff has bigger plans for him in 2007. Ford catches the football better than people think and has breakaway ability. Look for his role to increase this season in the running game, the passing game and on special teams. Last season Ford had 23 touches from scrimmage but I think that number could double this season.


LaDonte Harris is the kind of receiver every team has to have. He is not a guy that will impress you with his speed or athleticism but he is solid and will provide depth in his senior season.
Xavier Dye benefitted from enrolling in school in January and Swinney thinks the true freshman will avoid red-shirting this year as a result of his work in the spring. Dye is a tall receiver with excellent hands. He is not a burner but does run good routes. I think Dye will get his feet wet this season before going on to bigger and better things in 2008.


Jeff Ogren needed to red-shirt last season and there was a time in his first year where some felt he would not be much of a contributor at Clemson. However, he worked hard this past spring and now it is believed that he will have a role. He is a bigger receiver with good hands. Look for Ogren to battle Dye for playing time this year.


Brandon Clear is a lot like Ogren and Dye in that he is trying to catch the coaches eye but he will not be the focus this early because of the upperclassmen. Clear is another big target and he has a nice work ethic.


Markish Jones has not been cleared academically and the Broome star may have to go to prep school in 2007. Whenever he enrolls at Clemson the staff is getting a very fast receiver who also catches the ball well.


Clemson wants to sign two wide outs in this class and already has a commitment from one of the state’s top ten prospects in Marquan Jones. We will look more to recruiting at this position later in the week.


In summary, Clemson is blessed with a good group of wide receivers in 2007. It is a group that has versatility and now has a little experience at the position.