The Wide Receiver room has been bashed all season long and deservingly so, but my hot take is that it could be one of the best and deepest position groups on the team in 2024 so here's my thinking...
Dymere Miller: The Monmouth transfer brings true WR1 talent that Rutgers has not had in years with his legitimate track speed and separation ability. Will he have 90 catches for 1,295 yards and 9 TDs this year playing in the Big 10? No, but I see no reason he can’t have a 2020/2021 Bo Melton type of season if not better.
Christian Dremel/KJ Duff: Dremel was our best and most consistent guy this past season which was not ideal. In 2024 he can hopefully move to a more traditional slot being a super quick and shifty possession guy/chain mover which is a role I think he could really excel in adding more talent around him. Duff is an intriguing freshman as I think he may have the most talent and potential in the room. Using him in the Travis Kelce big flexed out slot position is the best spot for him IMO as he is a matchup nightmare being 6’6 with great hands and athleticism. He is a true freshman at the end of the day so time will only tell how many reps he gets in year 1 but KC could have a field day playing these two off each other in the slot exposing matchups with their 2 very different bodies and play styles.
Ian Strong: Strong showed the best flashes of anyone this past season with his big-body frame and highlight reel catches. Give him another full offseason to develop further and refine his skills and I think he's the frontrunner for the WR2 position.
Ofurie/Toure/Braithwaite/Fuse/Johnson: This is the group of true freshman turned RS freshman. Schiano and many others have really talked up their potential and I think each has the ability to be impactful on the banks one day. Ofurie, Toure, and Braithwaite are closer to ready IMO with Fuse and Johnson being more long term guys but I think multiple could be productive entering year 2. At the very minimum this year they are depth pieces that we have not had previously.
Chris Long/Benjamin Black: This is my unknown/X factor group. Chris Long has shown flashes over the past couple years but with his injury history he cannot be relied on until we actually see it. If he stays healthy he could be a very pleasant surprise. Black is instantly one of the fastest players on the team the moment he steps on campus which is why I find it very hard to believe that Schiano and KC won’t try and find ways to use him. Jet sweeps, WR screens and any type of these gadget plays I think could be in the cards. Like Duff, he’s a true freshman so it's hard to tell how much he will be used with all of these bodies in front of him.
Logan Blake: I did not include any tight ends on this list because putting it bluntly there just aren't any good players on the roster but Logan Blake is the one that intrigues me the most being 6’6 and a very dynamic athlete. I’ve seen him play basketball many different times and he definitely has the athleticism. It's just a waiting game to see if he puts it all together. I’m not sure how much time if any at all he will see this year only being a RS freshman, especially considering the fact that there will be a transfer addition ahead of him and that KC prioritizes good blocking tight ends over anything but he has the most pass catching potential out of anybody in the current TE room.
The obvious elephant in the room is the QB play and how it will affect the receivers. If Athan becomes a more polished version of his freshman self back under Kirk or Gavin somehow takes a big jump in his passing ability, then I truly believe this has the potential of being a pretty good receiving room. If the QB play stays the same then obviously none of this will really matter.
Dymere Miller: The Monmouth transfer brings true WR1 talent that Rutgers has not had in years with his legitimate track speed and separation ability. Will he have 90 catches for 1,295 yards and 9 TDs this year playing in the Big 10? No, but I see no reason he can’t have a 2020/2021 Bo Melton type of season if not better.
Christian Dremel/KJ Duff: Dremel was our best and most consistent guy this past season which was not ideal. In 2024 he can hopefully move to a more traditional slot being a super quick and shifty possession guy/chain mover which is a role I think he could really excel in adding more talent around him. Duff is an intriguing freshman as I think he may have the most talent and potential in the room. Using him in the Travis Kelce big flexed out slot position is the best spot for him IMO as he is a matchup nightmare being 6’6 with great hands and athleticism. He is a true freshman at the end of the day so time will only tell how many reps he gets in year 1 but KC could have a field day playing these two off each other in the slot exposing matchups with their 2 very different bodies and play styles.
Ian Strong: Strong showed the best flashes of anyone this past season with his big-body frame and highlight reel catches. Give him another full offseason to develop further and refine his skills and I think he's the frontrunner for the WR2 position.
Ofurie/Toure/Braithwaite/Fuse/Johnson: This is the group of true freshman turned RS freshman. Schiano and many others have really talked up their potential and I think each has the ability to be impactful on the banks one day. Ofurie, Toure, and Braithwaite are closer to ready IMO with Fuse and Johnson being more long term guys but I think multiple could be productive entering year 2. At the very minimum this year they are depth pieces that we have not had previously.
Chris Long/Benjamin Black: This is my unknown/X factor group. Chris Long has shown flashes over the past couple years but with his injury history he cannot be relied on until we actually see it. If he stays healthy he could be a very pleasant surprise. Black is instantly one of the fastest players on the team the moment he steps on campus which is why I find it very hard to believe that Schiano and KC won’t try and find ways to use him. Jet sweeps, WR screens and any type of these gadget plays I think could be in the cards. Like Duff, he’s a true freshman so it's hard to tell how much he will be used with all of these bodies in front of him.
Logan Blake: I did not include any tight ends on this list because putting it bluntly there just aren't any good players on the roster but Logan Blake is the one that intrigues me the most being 6’6 and a very dynamic athlete. I’ve seen him play basketball many different times and he definitely has the athleticism. It's just a waiting game to see if he puts it all together. I’m not sure how much time if any at all he will see this year only being a RS freshman, especially considering the fact that there will be a transfer addition ahead of him and that KC prioritizes good blocking tight ends over anything but he has the most pass catching potential out of anybody in the current TE room.
The obvious elephant in the room is the QB play and how it will affect the receivers. If Athan becomes a more polished version of his freshman self back under Kirk or Gavin somehow takes a big jump in his passing ability, then I truly believe this has the potential of being a pretty good receiving room. If the QB play stays the same then obviously none of this will really matter.
