PFF Grades Ole Miss' Dontario Drummond As Nation's Top WR In Week 1
On Monday, the Ole Miss Rebels put forth a dominant showing in their 43-24 win over the Louisville Cardinals, and as a result, one of their top players, wide receiver Dontario Drummond, is garnering national attention.
Drummond, who faced the unenviable task of replacing the production of former Rebels star Elijah Moore, was Matt Corral's top target in the game, catching nine passes for 177 yards and a touchdown -- good enough to earn him the highest grade of any FBS receiver in the country for week 1, per Pro Football Focus.
After the game, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was particularly impressed by Drummond, and how he has adjusted to the pressure of replacing the now New York Jets receiver.
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"You never know when you play in these systems and they go to take away people, and we got a lot of soft coverage outside and really deep, which statistically you wouldn't think that would be the case, but they stayed deep and didn't let us get behind them, and that takes away your outside receivers a little more," Kiffin said on Monday night. "He's our slot, like Elijah was a year ago. So he ended up getting a lot more catches and a lot more opportunities. So nine, 177, with one coming back, it was a really cool day by him."
Drummond was so good, in fact, that was not just PFF's top FBS wideout for Week 1, but their top FBS pass catcher for Week 1 since the 2014 season.
However, despite being a preseason First-Team All-SEC contender, and being seen as Ole Miss' No. 1 guy, Drummond even surprised himself on Monday night.
"I kind of surprised myself," Drummond said in Wednesday's media availability. "I didn't know I was going to get that many targets. Every chance I got, I made a play."
Drummond will look to keep the momentum going on Saturday when the Rebels welcome Austin Peay to Vaught Hemmingway Stadium for the team's home opener.
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