SB Nation - Jerry Johnson

2009 UCLA Football Post-Camp Grades: WR/TE's

Ryan Rosenblatt — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:00:12 -0000

My post-camp unit by unit grades of our 2009 Bruins continues with the receivers and offensive line. Yesterday, we took a look at the quarterbacks, who I graded a C+, while at the moment, the overwhelming majority of BN readers have assigned the group a C. What will the UCLA pass catchers grade in at? Here's a hint...it's high.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Without a doubt, the receivers/tight ends offer UCLA the best combination of experience, youth, depth, talent and game breaking talent. Simply put, this is the Bruins' best unit. If you want some experience, there's Terrance Austin. How about a game breaking talent with speed that can't be taught? Say hello to Randall Carroll. Whose route running skills can only be described as machine like and has no problem going over the middle or anywhere on the field to act as the chain mover? That would be Taylor Embree. How about a big body who can go up and get it in the red zone? Gavin Ketchum, come on down. There's Morrell Presley, the freak athlete as well and Ricky Marvray, a freshman like Presley and Carroll, who exceeded all expectations in training camp and is forcing coaches into a touch decision regarding redshirts. There's still the big bodied, big threat sophomores Nelson Rosario, Antwon Moutra with redshirt freshman Jerry Johnson making a name for himself. Oh yeah, I didn't mention the proven commodities at tight end in Ryan Moya and Logan Paulsen, both of whom could play on Sundays. Needless to say, there are options in the receiving game.

We already know what we're going to get from Terrance Austin in the receiving game. The wideout, who announced his decision to attend UCLA four years ago at the Army All-American Game and is a Long Beach Poly alum, his shifty and quick. He runs his routes well and while he's not the big body you sometimes see going up and battling for balls 50 yards downfield, he can quickly turn a catch 15 yards downfield into a 70 yard touchdown with how quickly he gets his hips turned up field and his ability to make people miss. Bringing back your top receiver never hurts and that's what UCLA has in Austin. UCLA also knows what it has in Ketchum, a senior who had a horrid start to camp. A week into camp, I was seriously considering the possibility of seeing Ketchum sixth or seventh on the UCLA depth chart and not traveling with the team. Ketchum stepped it up late in camp though and showed why he can be an asset to the Bruins. His size and knowledge of how to use it makes him dangerous in the red zone, either going up and getting the ball or shielding off defenders as he comes across the middle. Prince and Ketchum still aren't quite on the same page though as they miscommunicated a number of times throughout camp.

UCLA has lacked the ability to stretch the field in recent years. There's been some speed, but not jaw dropping speed. If a 4.3 40 and two-time high school 100 and 200 meter state champion sprinter doesn't make your jaw drop though then you may want to check your pulse and give up your seat at the Rose Bowl because there are plenty of others who would like a glimpse at Carroll. Carroll has speed that makes coaches drool and opposing DB's cry. While he still has a lot of refinement to do as a receiver (he had a case of the dropsies at times in camp and his route running is mediocre at best), he's an athlete that can put six on the board at any time and that's the type of player you make sure to get the ball to. Expect Carroll to be used on reverses, wide receiver screens and anything else imaginable because Carroll is exactly what UCLA defense have seen for years now, but only in games and never in practice. Fellow freshman Marvray doesn't have quite the same speed nor did he have the hype that Carroll had on the recruiting circuit. He was widely acknowledged as a good player because well, that's what a 5'11'' receiver without burning speed is known as, but Marvray has a special something. Last year when practice go-ers saw Embree, you saw he had that special something. It's a feel for the game. The way the field opens up for him and he always finds himself open. While it can be described as luck the first few times it happens, when it becomes regular then it's that special something. With plenty of receivers on the roster, Marvray may be redshirted and that would probably be the prudent route with available snaps at a minimum.

There's a trio of second-year receivers UCLA who are all big and can run. Moutra, Rosario and Johnson are all at least 6'2'', with Rosario checking in at 6'5''. They all have enough speed to get downfield and they all have a year under their belt, either as sophomores like Moutra and Rosario or as a redshirt freshman like Johnson. The one thing that all three need to work on is how to use their size though. Too often they don't shield their defender with their body and get balls knocked down. Too often they don't come down with high, long passes despite having pounds and inches on their opponent. Too often they go back to last year when they were freshmen and lose focus. Just when they frustrate you though, they make a play that wows you. Johnson is the least physically talented of the three, but shows the most hunger. Rosario is the biggest and has the most potential, but Moutra can bust a big one unlike the other two. All three have potential, but are short on results. The good thing for them is they're only one year into their time in Westwood and have time to prove themselves.

All three of the second-year receivers or really any receiver on the roster can take a page or two out of Embree's book. The Bruins haven't have a wideout who runs such precise routes in years and there are few with the reliable hands and willingness to take a hit of Embree either. Let's also remember that this is mister half-star. One recruiting website gave him one star, while the other gave him no stars out of high school. The son of a football coach sure plays like one though and he quickly developed a bond with Prince as the two spent plenty of practice time talking, then reps beating the defense for eight, ten or 12 yard chunks.

Presley is listed as a tight end and will likely be one before he leaves Westwood, but the majority of his freshman year will be spent away from the line and without his hand on the ground. Presley needs to put on some weight before he even thinks about pushing a defensive end or even linebacker around, but on the outside, he is a mismatch waiting to happen. While small for a tight end right now, no DB is contending with 6'4'' 220 lbs. and no linebacker can run with the guy. Toss in his huge vertical and you can see why he spent a lot of practice time on fades. He will be on the field a lot in the redzone and he should be a terror down the seam at midfield forcing safeties to pinch, thus opening up the deep ball.

The two tight ends who will get the most time can do it all. Moya and Paulsen are known commodities. They can block, which this team will need them to do, but they can also prove to be useful outlets for a quarterback with little experience who will be under pressure. Both have had injury problems so health could be an issue, as could fumbles. Paulsen is the tougher of the two and he was knocking heads in practice, especially when freed up to hit linebackers on running plays. Moya meanwhile was doing well on quick outs and turning upfield to pick up yards after the catch. If the two can stay healthy, it will do wonders to have that type of talent and experience on the field.

Grade: A I'm not going to bother researching the depth chart of every Pac-10 team's wideouts and tight ends, but I can't imagine another team having such a mix of strength, speed, experience, refinement and every other good work you can think of to describe receivers. I'll go with stupendousness. On a team of worry after worry, here's one unit to have confidence in.

Poll

What would you grade the UCLA receivers and tight ends?

A

191 votes

B

189 votes

C

29 votes

D

3 votes

F

6 votes

418 votes | Poll has closed

Plenty Of Targets For Prince & Co: Options At Wide Receivers & Tight Ends

Nestor — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:46:03 -0000

So to date we have taken a look through the options available at quarterbacks, running backs, and the offensive line of this year's team. Provided that our offensive line improves from last year's dreadful season and Kevin Prince and co. can provide steady play at the quarterback position, we might be able to see some fireworks courtesy of our wide receivers and tight ends this coming season. These are two positions Bruins will be loaded IMHO heading into this football season.

Let's go through the wide receiver position first. The two guys slated to start are Taylor Embree and Terrence Austin. From Sam Saig at All Pac-10 blog:

The top three receivers from last year’s squad are back, including sure-handed sophomore Taylor Embree.

The 6-3 194 pound Embree burst onto the scene last season, setting school records for receiving yards (531) and receptions (40) among freshmen wideouts. His 531 receiving yards led all Bruins in 2008 and his 40 catches were second on the team. Embree’s fantastic freshman season garnered national attention as he was named second team Freshman All-American by The Sporting News. He played in all 12 games, and started eight.

Embree is a possession-receiver in the best sense of the term. The Overland Park (KS) native is an exceptionally gifted route-runner and possesses rare instincts that allow him to separate from defenders. Those instincts could make the cerebral sophomore Kevin Prince’s emergency option whenever a play breaks down.

Embree does not shy away from contact, and routinely ran dangerous "across-the-middle" routes last season. He uses his big frame very well, and has tremendous hands that seem to catch everything, especially for first downs. Embree enters the season as one of the premier offensive threats for the Bruins.

Joining Embree as a starter will be senior Terrence Austin. Austin led the team in receptions as a junior with 53. He finished second on the team with 461 receiving yards and one touchdown. The 5-11 173 pound flanker is a multi-talented athlete that can hurt the opponent in a variety of ways. He set a school record last season with 1,878 all-purpose yards, which broke Maurice Jones-Drew’s mark of 1,863. Austin also became the first Bruin ever to eclipse 1,000 yards on kickoff returns (1,109).

Austin is very effective on reverses and trick plays, giving the ultra-creative Norm Chow a speedy playmaker to utilize in 2009. Last season, Austin had 13 carries for 90 yards (6.9 YPC). Teammates and coaches alike have praised the Long Beach Poly (CA) product for his leadership qualities, and he was voted as one of the team captains at the end of spring. Austin will be a key contributor for the Bruins in 2009.

Sam mentioned how Taylor doesn't shy away from contact and has no fear running across the middle. I think we can say the same about Austin given the courage he displayed last year (just think back to the Oregon game in Eugene). The question that folks will have is whether Embree or Austin will be able to give us that breakaway option at WR. Sooner or later at least Austin is going to have to house it this year because hopefully he is going to get some strong competition this year. More on that after the jump.

So who will Austin and Embree get that competition from? Well we already have Nelson Rosario on the fold who at least in terms of size (6-5, 214) and athleticism provides us the kind of target we probably haven't had at WR position since the days of Danny Farmer and J.J. Stokes. Case in point:

Photo Credit: dabruins07 (flickr)

He had some money grabs last year (v. Tennessee and Stanford). He also has no problem running those difficult routes. He caught 11 passes for 169 yards in his freshman year and I can't wait to find out the kind of season he will come up with in his second year.

Meanwhile, speaking of kids giving Austin a push in the department of speed, we have to talk about Carroll:

[I]t’s Carroll, and his where-did-he-go speed, who could give the passing game a quick-strike element that would have to be respected.

Carroll, who played at Los Angeles Cathedral High, will have to show he’s ready. At 5 feet 10 and 184 pounds, he could use a little more meat. His savvy level needs to grow.

All that will come. What Carroll already possesses is afterburner speed, as he was a two-time California state champion in the 100 and 200 meters.

Senior linebacker Reggie Carter has seen that speed on display during seven-on-seven workouts this month.

"When the ball is in the air, he goes and gets it," Carter said. "There have been some passes where I thought, ‘No way anyone gets that,’ and he takes off and gets there."

That element could make an already solid group lethal.

That should given folks incentive to pack the Spaulding Field every day starting Monday. I guess the main question right now is whether our much maligned OL will give Prince and co. enough time to find and strike targets like Randall.

Randall will not be on the only option at WRs for Kevin. We will have seniors like Gavin Ketchum as hopefully reliable options. Gavin at 6-5 210 pounds also provides a huge target for our QBs and he has shown decent ability to block downfield. Both Gavin and Rosario (along with Embree) should be able to provide options as attractives targets when our offense gets into the red zone. In addition to these guys we will also have young talents such as Antown Moutra, Jerry Johnson and freshman Ricky Marvray available in our depth chart. I have heard lot of great feedback on both Moutra and Johnson in terms of their size and speed. I am going to assume if those guys prove themselves at Spaulding Chow and Neuheisel, will not hesitate from calling their numbers on game day.

Speaking of big targets, we haven't even gotten to discuss our TEs yet. The TE position will be rich and deep in proven talent provided Moya and Paulsen can stay healthy. From the LA Times:

The absences of Moya (ankle surgery) and Paulsen (broken foot) gave UCLA coaches reason to be concerned in the spring -- so much so that Nate Chandler was shifted back to tight end from offensive tackle. Now offensive coordinator Norm Chow calls it the deepest p

osition on the offense and the place where he has the least worries … for now.

Injuries and other issues created a stockpile at tight end, where the Bruins have multiple personalities, starting with seniors Paulsen and Moya.

Paulsen, who was granted a medical hardship after breaking his foot in the 2008 season opener, is big and alpha-dog physical. Moya, who sat out the 2007 season due to personal reasons, was effective finding seams in the defense and led the team with three touchdown receptions. Both will fill those roles again.

But what makes tight end a Bruin stronghold are Cory Harkey and Morrell Presley.

Harkey, a sophomore, spent the 2008 season on the learning curve and the offseason in the weight room. He is 15 pounds heavier, up to 254 pounds, and is expected to be an effective point of attack tight end, as well as a gifted receiver. Harkey and Paulsen fit well into Coach Rick Neuheisel’s declaration that the Bruins "will be able to run the ball or die trying."

Harkey and Chandler will definitely give CRN and Chow physical options when they will attemp to ram the ball down opponents throats. Keep in mind, from what we have heard and read Presley at 6-4 222 can also provide a physical option even though chances are Chow might also line him at wide to create mismatch nightmares for opponents.

The bottom line right now is that we will able to take advantages of the talents available at these two positions if and only if we can get credible performance from our offensive line and quarterback this coming season. If our OL can generate an above average running game and give Prince and co. enough time to locate the targets, it could be a very fun season. We are not going to know the answers until we see what transpires at Spaulding starting Monday and then game time in less than 30 days. The anticipation is killing me.

GO BRUINS.