The top SEC football teams all have wide receivers with a mixture of speed, size, athleticism, and the ability to make the big catches in big moments. The league always graduates a killer class of wideouts to the NFL and the players about to step up in 2021 will emulate the play of the likes of Calvin Ridley and Amari Cooper on the college gridiron.
By Steve Wright
Here are the top 5 wide receivers entering the 2021 season:
5. Jalin Hyatt – Tennessee Vols
At least one wide receiver for the Vols is going to benefit from the hiring of Josh Heupel and his downfield passing attack and Jalin Hyatt looks the most likely at this point. He had 20 catches for 276 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman in a conservative offensive scheme, but Heupel’s UCF led offense had 21 completions of 40 yards or more last season and Hyatt has the skill set to be a huge beneficiary of this change in leadership.
4. Jaden Walley – Mississippi State Bulldogs
Jaden Walley’s numbers last season – No. 10 in the SEC in receiving yards with 718 and with receptions per game 4.7 – were good, but they were even better if you consider his class. Walley was No. 2 in the entire FBS amongst true freshmen in receiving yards (718) and No. 3 in receptions with 52. His 176 yards receiving in the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss broke a 43-year-old school record and Walley showed consistency with a streak of four games going over 100 yards receiving including against the defenses of Georgia and Auburn.
3. Kayshon Boutte – LSU Tigers
Kayshon Boutte was basically unstoppable at the end of the 2020 season and that bodes extremely well for his 2021 campaign. Boutte caught 27 passes for 527 yards and four touchdowns over the Tigers’ last three games (including a contest against Alabama) and as the unquestioned No. 1 target for Max Johnson he should have an insane year in the pass-happy LSU attack.
2. John Metchie – Alabama Crimson Tide
John Metchie started the 2020 season as the No. 3 pass catcher on the Alabama roster but had to step up when Jaylen Waddle’s injury saw him miss nearly the whole season. Now – with Waddle and Devonta Smith both in the NFL – Metchie is going to have to step up again as the Tide’s true No. 1 wideout. Returns last year – 916 yards and six touchdowns on 55 catches – were promising, especially considering that Metchie’s grabs accounted for a first down or touchdown 35% of the time. He knows how to move the chains and that will be huge for ‘Bama in big games this fall.
1. Treylon Burks – Arkansas Razorbacks
Treylon Burks was a beast for Arkansas last season. He finished third in the SEC in receiving yards per game at 91.1 and fifth in total receiving yards with 820 on 51 catches. He also set a new career-best mark with seven touchdowns and he was the only receiver in the league other than Kadarius Toney to have over 800 yards receiver and over 70 yards rushing. Burks is a big play machine and his production will only increase this fall.
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