Auburn football: Taking a look at the Tigers’ talented group of receivers

Wide receiver was one of the biggest focal points of Auburn’s 2020 recruiting class. The Tigers signed four receivers in the class — three of which were four-star recruits. There’s probably a bit too much experience ahead of them of the depth chart for all of them to make an impact but I’d expect at least one or two of them to be in the regular rotation.

The Tigers saw great success with both Williams and Schwartz as true freshman in 2018 and there’s no reason why the team can’t do something similar in 2020.

The top of the four new signees is Troup County wideout Kobe Hudson. At 6-foot and 185 pounds, Hudson may not have ideal size but he’s incredibly athletic. There’s a reason why he was a top-20 recruit in the state of Georgia and could very well be in line for early playing time.

Not far behind is Ze’Vian Capers. One of my favorite signees of the 2020 class, Capers, at 6-foot-4 and nearly 200 pounds, has the chance to make a Seth Williams type impact later in his career.

Like Hudson, Capers was a top-20 recruit in the state of Georgia and committed to Auburn after flipping from Arkansas.

Then, the Tigers have J.J. Evans. One of the top prospects in the state of Alabama (No. 6), Evans is a tall, raw, athletic wideout from Montevallo, Alabama.

Last of the incoming freshman receivers is three-star Florida product Elijah Canion. Canion may not be as highly touted as the other guys in the class but at 6-foot-4 and 201 pounds, he has great potential for the future.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Canion takes a redshirt year in 2020 but there’s a reason he received scholarship offers from the likes of Florida, USC and Georgia.

As for the wildcards at receiver, former three-star recruit  Shedrick Jackson is a guy to look out for. The nephew of Auburn great Bo Jackson, Jackson has been a depth guy at WR over his first two years on The Plains and has only caught a total of four passes for 46 yards during that time.

Now entering his third season, now would be the time for Jackson to take the leap past “depth guy.”

Additionally, a guy like Matthew Hill looked like he was in line for a breakout season in 2019. A former top-100 recruit, Hill showed out at A-Day in 2019 posting four catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns.

However, Hill was a bit of a disappointment last season and only recorded eight total receptions for 46 yards. To make things even more complicated, this offseason it was reported that Hill could possibly get reps at defensive back.

It’s unclear if this would be a permanent switch but Hill honestly has the athleticism to play both positions.