Wisconsin football spring questions: wide receivers
Spring practice begins next week for the Wisconsin Badgers.
With several key changes to the roster and a revamped coaching staff, this spring will provide us the first look at what next year's football team might look like when they open up against Illinois State on September 3.
Previous spring previews:
Today our position-by-position look at the major questions heading into the spring for Wisconsin football takes us to the receiver room.
What do the Badgers have in UCLA transfer Keontez Lewis?
Wisconsin attacked the transfer portal this off-season. One of the top players they added via the portal is sophomore wide receiver, Keontez Lewis.
A former three-star recruit out of high school with offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt, Lewis wound up committing to UCLA as part of the 2021 recruiting class.
After enrolling early with the Bruins, Lewis played in 11 games as a true freshman last season, though he did not record any statistics.
Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing around 200 pounds, Lewis has a tremendous frame and is a plus athlete. With Wisconsin losing Kendric Pryor, Danny Davis, and Jack Dunn, there is a chance that Lewis could immediately jump into the starting rotation with a strong spring.
Based on his senior highlights, Lewis uses his size well to create separation, and he does a nice job of catching the ball away from his body. If he can learn the playbook quickly, he should see the field in 2022. I have a hard time imagining that Lewis decided to leave UCLA to sit on the bench in Madison, so it will be fascinating to see what he can do on the practice field this spring.
Junior wide receiver Chimere Dike is the Badgers top returning player at the position this spring.
Does Dean Engram give the Badgers a receiving threat in the slot?
Last season, the Badgers' top three receiving threats all had similar measurables and skillsets. With an influx of bigger receivers under Alvis Whitted, the addition of Dean Engram to the room could provide Wisconsin with a different style of athlete to use in the intermediate passing game.
A junior with receiving experience at the prep level, Engram is the shortest wide receiver on the roster at 5-foot-9. While he primarily played cornerback and returned punts during his career with the Badgers, he has switched to offense to play under his dad.
If Engram can adjust to his new position quickly, and utilize his quickness to find openings against defenses, he could add a new wrinkle to Wisconsin's passing game and give Graham Mertz a securing blanket underneath.
This spring should indicate what Engram can do and his role on the roster.
How much better can Chimere Dike and Markus Allen be in 2022?
Junior wide receiver Chimere Dike and redshirt freshman Markus Allen are two of the more exciting skill players on Wisconsin's roster.
Dike enters this spring as the top returning receiver with two years of playing time under his belt, while Allen made tremendous strides as the season progressed last year and flashed in the Las Vegas Bowl.
With the turnover at the wide receiver position, big things are expected of the two young wide-outs entering 2022. A pair of highly-regarded high school wide receivers by Wisconsin standards, Dike and Allen have the talent to improve the Badger's air attack, which ranked outside of the top-100 in college football.
While the duo has plenty of promise, they are still young players that could desperately use the larger rep share that is likely coming their way this spring.
How Dike and Allen develop throughout the 15 practices will be something to monitor, because the Badgers will need them to step up come fall.
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