Unlike last year, there aren’t clear top dogs in the Auburn football WR room heading into the 2021 season.
At this point in 2020, Bo Nix had two future NFL draft picks (Seth Williams, Anthony Schwartz) and a third eventual NFL signee (Eli Stove) who were established and trusted to shoulder the load during the upcoming campaign.
This season, the top-rated pass-catching recruit is a sixth-year transfer playing for his third school.
The picture is a lot different this year, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be success stories. In fact, topping last year’s 6-5 record seems like certainty with a normal schedule and offseason to prepare for the Tigers.
Fly War Eagle sees these 3 receivers as the top candidates to be WR1 for Nix, TJ Finley, and/or Dematrius Davis in 2021:
Auburn football potential WR1 #1: Ze’Vian Capers
Zac Blackerby of the Locked On Auburn podcast and USA Today’s Auburn Wire got an interesting tidbit of info and insight from Justin Hokanson of Auburn Live on his latest show:
"“Malcolm Johnson Jr, who has not been talked about until (Monday) coincidedentily,” Hokanson said. “Malcolm Johnson Jr. is a freshman 4-star who is very raw. He is getting first-team reps ahead of Kobe Hudson a lot. “The receiver position is wide open but people just go ‘(Ze’Vian) Capers, (Elijah) Canion, Hudson’ and then maybe Demetris (Robertson) but Malcolm Johnson Jr. is completely in the mix.”"
A few things here:
- Malcolm Johnson Jr. is clearly a name to look out for. Perhaps expecting him to leapfrog to the top of the depth chart anytime soon is an act of overzealousness, but he is making waves here in his first collegiate practices.
- Kobe Hudson’s stock has tumbled a bit in recent times.
- Ze’Vian Capers has made enough noise to have his name casually mentioned as a potential WR1.
AL.com’s Tom Green also mentioned Capers as a consistent returning piece in the WR room:
"…it’s the consistency shown throughout the position group — and certainly from some of the younger returning pieces like Elijah Canion and Ze’Vian Capers — through the first eight practices that has Harsin feeling good about Auburn’s receivers at this point."
It was Hudson’s name just a few months ago that was mentioned in the same light that Capers’ is now. Capers has used the summer to catapult himself into the mix for being one of the main movers and shakers in the fall.
Auburn football potential WR1 #2: Demetris Robertson
The primary reason why Demetris Robertson was brought to the Plains was to give the Tigers WR room SEC experience of any kind.
While Robertson’s three touchdowns in three seasons in Athens with the Georgia Bulldogs is nowhere near the contributions the Savannah product probably envisioned by this point in his career after transferring from Cal, he has a major redemption story set on the Plains should he grab a hold of the proverbial brass ring.
With less than ten passes caught by the other pass-catchers so far in their collegiate careers, the Tigers are turning to the sixth-year super-duper senior to provide leadership by example. Luckily, it sounds as though he has been able to live up to that mantle since his arrival on campus:
"One receiver who made “several” receptions during the scrimmage was Robertson, the former five-star prospect who spent the last three seasons at Georgia. After arriving on campus a week ago, Robertson has worked to quickly acclimate himself to Auburn’s offense and build a rapport with quarterback Bo Nix. That work has shown some early returns, including a catch over the middle of the field and a big gain after a reception that garnered praise from Harsin after the scrimmage ended."
Things are looking up for Robertson, who has never had a clearer path to a voluminous workload than he does with Auburn football.
Auburn football potential WR1 #3: Elijah Canion
So far, in real game competition, Elijah Canion has proven the most in separating from the rest of the pack.
Canion showed up during the Tigers’ Citrus Bowl loss to Northwestern on New Year’s Day at Camping World Stadium. It was his first start of the season (and his career), and with the chips stacked against the AU offense given Northwestern’s top 25-ranked defense, Canion stepped up to the plate to be one of the lone bright spots on a day dominated by the Wildcats otherwise.
Ze’Vian Capers’ injury and Anthony Schwartz’ opt-out of the Bowl Game was the opening Canion needed to strike and stake his claim as Bo Nix’s new top target. Furthering that rapport during A-Day was crucial, and Canion once again showed out, per Josh Vitale:
"Elijah Canion, sophomore wide receiver. Ja’Varrius Johnson was the talk of spring practice, but it was the 6-foot-4 Canion who shined with six catches for 51 yards and a touchdown on A-Day, building on his breakout three-catch, 80-yard, one-touchdown performance in January’s Citrus Bowl."
Canion has the inside track to being WR1, and I’d put my money on him scoring at least one touchdown on September 4th when Jordan-Hare bears witness to an explosive return of Auburn football in its purest form: with 87,000+ fans screaming their lungs out while whiting out the stadium.