The deepest skill position in the Big 12 lies at the receiver position. Perhaps, that’s by necessity in the high scoring nature of the conference. Arguably, you could exchange the top three and not get much argument from anyone. With that, we look at the best the position has to offer with the top five Big 12 wide receivers in 2019.
Top Five Big 12 Wide Receivers in 2019
The embarrassment of riches continues in 2019 at the wide receiver position. Even with the losses of Marquise Brown, Hakeem Butler, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey the unite looks to be stronger for the upcoming season. Here are the top five Big 12 wide receivers in 2019.
5. Denzel Mims, Baylor:
It’s crazy to think that the fifth best receiver in the conference came in just 200 yards shy of a 1,000-yard season in 2018. But, that’s exactly what we have with Mims. Mims started strong with two 100-yard performances in his first five games including 11 catches for 114 yards against Oklahoma.
Despite a slow middle of the season, Mims finished strong with a 95-yard performance in the bowl victory over Vanderbilt. He is the clear number one target for the Bears this year. And, provided he can stay healthy and there’s continued improvement in the passing game there’s no reason to think that he won’t get back in the 1,000-yard club.
4. Jalen Reagor, TCU:
In an otherwise disappointing season for the Horned Frogs, Reagor was a bright spot for the offense. Reagor had 72 grabs for 1,061 yards and nine touchdowns on the year. He was particularly strong down the stretch as TCU won four of their last five games. In the final four games of the regular season, Reagor had 419 yards and four touchdowns.
The Horned Frog program is too good not to expect a big improvement in 2019. And, Reagor will be pivotal to that improvement. How well he meshes with transfer quarterback Alex Delton will be key to TCU’s offensive success this season.
3. Collin Johnson, Texas:
Johnson made the Longhorn faithful happy when he elected to return to Austin for his senior campaign. His rapport that he built with quarterback Sam Ehlinger was evident last year. He was just 15 yards short of 1,000 for the season while also collecting seven touchdowns. He was particularly lethal against Oklahoma by hauling in 14 catches for 258 yards and a couple of scores.
Johnson was the epitome of a possession receiver in 2018. Often he used his big body to gain position and simply outjump the smaller cornerbacks. However, the next phase of his development will be around how he can stretch the field. With Humphrey gone look for Johnson to carry more of the load and have an explosive season.
2. Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State:
Wallace might have been the biggest coming from nowhere story in the conference last year. Someone needed to replace the production of James Washington and Wallace answered the call. All he did in his first full year as the main target was pull in 86 catches for 1,491 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Only the unknown at the quarterback position kept him at number two in our list. With Taylor Cornelius graduating, the reigns would appear to Spencer Sanders for the Cowboys in 2019. Building continuity between whoever the starter is and Wallace will be critical to holding steady at another 1,500-yard season.
1. CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma:
The Sooners find themselves at the top of this list again this year with Lamb. Lamb has had to share the spotlight with Brown over the last couple of seasons. Even so, he tallied 1,158 yards and 11 touchdowns sharing the load. Lamb showed that he is capable of being the workhorse as he had 14 catches for 276 yards against Texas and Alabama respectively while Brown was injured.
The argument could certainly be made for a 1a and 1b with Wallace and Lamb. However, we chose to go with Lamb here due to the proven commodity that Oklahoma has at quarterback with Jalen Hurts. Even with the talented freshmen in Norman, Lamb could be poised for a 1,500-yard season.
Honorable Mention:
Ja’Deion High, Texas Tech: High should be the main man in Lubbock this year. He’s coming off of a 62 catch 804-yard season in 2018.
Marcus Simms, West Virginia: Simms has a big hole to fill with both David Sills and Gary Jennings in the NFL. He will be called on to be the biggest contributor for the Mountaineers receiving corps this season.
Also, see our other Big 12 positional rankings coming soon:
Tight Ends
Defensive Linemen
Linebackers
Cornerbacks
Safeties
Kickers
Return Specialists
