Georgia Football: WR Depth Chart Review

There were several issues with the Georgia offense last season. Whether you wanted to talk about the lack of explosive plays, the middle of the pack points per game, or the ability to score touchdowns instead of kick field goals.

Odds are you probably heard one of those complaints, if not them all. Some may have blamed the quarterback's performance or the offensive coordinator, but a lot of the blame fell on the shoulders of the wide receiving corps at Georgia.

Even Kirby Smart said after the (37-10) loss that it was his responsibility to find better guys at the wideout position:

"That's my responsibility, right, to replace them. That's my responsibility to replace them in recruiting, and we probably haven't done a good enough job of that." He continued, "People can point at Jake, they can point at Coley, they can point at me. I understand that. But at the end of the day, it's not about that. It's what can we do to do to win each game individually?"

Since those statements, Smart has secured not only the highest-rated collection of talent at the wide receiver position that Georgia has ever seen, but he's reeled in one of the most dynamic weapons in the 2020 class in Darnell Washington.

Today, we take a look at what the wide receiver depth chart will look like this fall:

X-Reciever

George Pickens

The Bulldog faithful knew very early on that George Pickens was special. Perhaps it was his one-handed catch in practice in early August that made you notice. Maybe it was the diving catch against Murray State. For the national audience, however, it wasn't really until the Sugar Bowl performance when the world seemed to be introduced to George Pickens.

Georgia fans might also know that Terrence Edwards is the only wideout to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards. In 2020, it seems the question isn't if Pickens will break 1K, but when?

Tommy Bush

Some might think it's Pickens who is the physical specimen in the Georgia wideout room, but it's actually Tommy Bush. At 6'5, 200 pounds, he's a legit 4.4 runner. In two seasons at Georgia, he's struggled to find the field, but he's working to get better and more refined as a route runner.

It does motivate him, and you know that is the case, out of sight out of mind. One thing that people have to realize is when people blame receivers, they come there as high school prospects and it's up to the coaches to develop them." - Bush's WR trainer Margin Hooks

Marcus Rosemy

It's going to take a lot to keep this young wideout off the field this fall. When I watch Rosemy play, the first thing that always comes to mind is George Pickens. That ability to play the game with sheer power and physicality, while also displaying the smooth body control of a much smaller and nimbler receiver.

He's a more than willing blocker in the run game, and that's something that Kirby Smart will fall in love with from day one. Similar to Pickens as well, so-called "50/50 balls" are more like "70/30 balls" with Marcus Rosemy.

Z-Reciever

Demetris Robertson

The Senior will get the start early on at the Z-Reciever most likely. though he will also spend time in the slot as he did this past season. A lot of Georgia fans have been a little deterred by Robertson's performance the last two seasons after transferring from Cal.

A freshman season that saw 767 yards at 7 scores, but as Demetris Robertson said after the SECCG, that was more of a spread system like Georgia is moving towards. Robertson even said the players were going to be vocal about "opening things up"

Jermaine Burton

As someone who studies each of these individual players, you find yourself having a tendency to favor a certain player's game. It's a common thing in the scouting world, known as "My Guy's." My guy headed into last season was Tyrique Stevenson, and my guy headed into this season is Burton.

He told us in an exclusive interview that he will play a little bit of everything, but he's going to get the shot to compete at "Z."

"Honestly, I believe they are going to give me an opportunity to do both like I can. But I do believe they plan on having me at Z"

Burton is going to excel early and often because he's so seasoned at beating man coverage. When corners roll down, he's at home because it's something he's worked on for years now.

Matt Landers

All of the wide receivers had their moments on the hot seat last season., but Landers seemed to get the most attention. I think the most frustrating thing about Landers is that he seems to always be open but rarely seems to come down with the football. It wasn't separation, it was concentration it seemed.

If Landers can put the final piece of the puzzle together, he really could be something special. And part of me wants to say that's why you've seen him get so many opportunities since getting on campus.

Slot Receiver

Dominick Blaylock

From sources we've spoken to, Dominick Blaylock's recovery from offseason knee surgery is going exceptionally well. Expectations are that he will return to full health this fall and should be ready to go early. However, don't be surprised if Kirby Smart plays things on the safer side to have Blaylock primed and prepped for the showdown in Tuscaloosa week 3.

When he does return, Todd Monken has shown a history of being far more friendly to slot receivers. Every pass play will have a "Get open now" route built-in, and that's exactly what the SLOT wide receiver will do.

Kearis Jackson

Toughness. That's the first thing that comes to mind, especially when you recall he practiced last season with a club on his broken hand. A wide receiver, playing with one hand taped in a club. As Coach Smart said, "Those Peach County boys are different."

He's going to have to hold off Jermaine Burton in the slot as well if Burton doesn't beat out Demetris Robertson at the Z. All in all, they will likely be tasked to learn all the positions anyways.

Arian Smith

I think you could see the Florida burner used in the slot primarily because he could have early issues creating space versus the man to man coverage that he's going to see on the outside from corners in the SEC.

However, 7 or 8 times a game it wouldn't hurt to line him up in the slot and burn a safety or slot corner that's playing off 8 to 10 yards. Think about how Tyreke Hill threatens a defense from the slot position.

Eventually, he will get a chance to play outside I would imagine, but he can just as well dominate from the inside slot position.

Not mentioned:

Justin Robinson might have been the player that was impacted the most by spring practice likely being canceled. The 6'4, 225-pound wideout worked hard to enroll early at Georgia and would have had a chance to turn some heads before all of the other freshmen arrived. Not to say he won't do the same whenever play does return.

Ladd McConkey will likely make an impact on special teams early as a punt returner or kick returner, as he told us a few weeks back here on the Bulldog Maven:

Trey Blount and Makiya Toungue are physical players that could make an impact as well. But you can only play so many guys.

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