In our continuing series previewing each Illinois position group, OrangeandBlueNews.com takes a look at the wide receiver position.
The skinny
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Former frosh All-American Mike Dudek will likely miss another full season following knee surgery in the spring. Geronimo Allison is fighting for a roster spot with the Green Bay Packers. During camp, no one receiver has separated himself as a go-to target for QB Wes Lunt. Malik Turner is the top returnee. Senior Justin Hardee is coming back from a foot injury that sidelined him for the entire 2015 season.
As a unit, the Illini wide receiver corps is trying to bounce back from a rough season a year ago in which drops became a weekly stat to track. A former walk-one and a newcomer are both vying for playing time. New wide receivers coach Andrew Hayes-Stoker has his work cut out for him, but his NFL experience will definitely come in handy.
Returning players: D.J. Taylor (Sr.), Sam Mays (So.), Malik Turner (Jr.), Mike Dudek (So.), Justin Hardee (Sr.), Desmond Cain (So.), Zach Grant (Sr.)
Losses: Geronimo Allison, Tyrin Stone-Davis, Marchie Murdock, Raphael Barr
Additions: M.J. McGriff (Fr.), Zarrian Holcombe (Fr.), Dominic Thieman (Fr.)
Probable starters
X-receiver. Justin Hardee. Possessing excellent straight ahead speed and length, Hardee is a threat to get behind defenses for big plays. He has made some plays to the deep outside during camp. We’ve been waiting for Hardee to have a break-out season. That was derailed when he went down with an injury last year. Getting off the line of scrimmage and winning battles for the football against physical defenders has sometimes been an issue for Hardee. His route running has also been a work in progress. The Illini need Hardee to put together a strong senior campaign.
Z-receiver. Malik Turner. Turner had 10 starts in 2015. He grabbed 39 receptions for 510 yards and three touchdowns. Consistency is the name of the game for Turner. If he stays focused 100% of his snaps, Turner can put together a good season and be the top pass-catcher for the Illini this year. He appears to have the full package in terms of physical attributes – speed, size, physicality. Turner had arguably the biggest catch of the season last year, a long reception on a post route on the last drive of the come-from-behind win over Nebraska. He has big play capability. Now it’s a matter of lining up and doing it on every down.
Slot receiver. Zach Grant. Lunt’s former favorite target in high school has worked his way into the starting group with a very good camp. He jumped ahead of Mays, showing consistent hands and tight route running. When matched up against linebackers in the slot, Grant has enough of a burst to get separation, and he has a knack for finding holes in the defense. He gets it done with fundamentals and technique. Grant isn’t just a short-yardage threat, though. Lunt has found Grant on deep routes in the middle of the field several times in the first two weeks of camp.
Key reserves
The Illini staff likes the length that Sam Mays brings to the slot receiver spot, but he seems to have taken a small step back and is now running with the 2’s. We like his upside. True freshman Dominic Thieman is a polished route runner with a complete skill package for a freshman. He has hit a bit of a wall in week 2, but the tools are there. It’s just a matter of mastering the offense. Desmond Cain has battled minor injuries. He will be in the rotation after a productive freshman season. Senior D.J. Taylor looks the part, and he is probably the most physical receiver on the team. Taylor has to be more consistent catching the football, though.
