Auburn Football: Five Redshirt Freshman Ready to Contribute

Sep 6, 2014; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn speaks with his staff and players during a timeout during the first quarter against the San Jose State Spartans at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports

Myron Burton, Jr., WR

Myron Burton, Jr. isn’t the only redshirt freshman wide receiver on the Auburn football roster – Stanton Truitt received a medical redshirt after playing in three games last season – but Burton has an opportunity to make a bigger impact at the position in 2015. He already made an impression during Outback Bowl practices.

“Myron Burton did some really good things,” offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said following the first of Auburn’s bowl practices in December. “I was really impressed by some things he did.”

A raw athlete, Burton used his redshirt season to refine his route-running and fine-tune his receiving skills. He also practiced hard.

“He’s tough, he’s a competitor,” Lashlee said. “We take a guy who has been on scout team all year. He’s coming back over, and we’re calling plays and some of them he ran in fall camp and some of them he’s never heard of, so we’re kind of helping out with what to do.”

Lashlee also praised Burton’s attitude. He’s still got some work to do, but Burton’s 6-foot-3 and 200-pounds frame is what the Tigers are looking for to replace leading receiver and early NFL Draft entrant Sammie Coates on the outside.

He’s likely to begin the season behind Melvin Ray (6-foot-3, 207) and Tony Stevens (6-foot-4, 198) on the depth chart and speedster Ricardo Louis may also have an opportunity to be the big play threat on the outside after playing in the slot in 2014, but don’t be surprised to see the redshirt freshman emerge as one of new quarterback Jeremy Johnson’s favorite targets in 2015.

Next: Markell Boston