Georgia football: grading recruitment of wide receivers in 2019

Georgia football signed the no. 2 recruiting class in the nation. But how well did they recruit wide receivers?

How was Georgia football supposed to bounce back at wide receiver after losing two juniors to the NFL Draft, two more seniors to graduation and seeing the no. 1 receiver in the nation decommit in the middle of the season? By signing two top 40 wide receiver prospects and enrolling a graduate transfer from Miami who led the Hurricanes in touchdowns in 2018.

Georgia’s recruitment of wide receivers for the 2019 class was a grand slam. I’m a believer that more receivers from the 2017 and 2018 classes will step up and become valuable targets in the passing game this year, but the two receivers signed in 2019 have the potential to become instant stars in Athens. Add to them a graduate transfer with a knack for scoring touchdowns, all of the sudden, Georgia might have the deepest and most talented group of wide receivers in the SEC.

George Pickens

Hoover, Alabama native George Pickens changed the perception of Georgia’s class of receivers by choosing the Dawgs over Auburn on National Signing Day. His flip was a surprise to the fans of both fanbases. Pickens had been an Auburn commit since July of 2017. Despite being a five-star prospect and the no. 4 receiver in the nation, according to 247Sports Composite, talk about his recruitment was scarce between July 2017 and the end of his senior football season. Surely, this was a sign that Pickens was all Auburn Tiger.

But the recruiting media swirled around Pickens for two months as he took numerous visits to other schools. It became clear that Pickens only shut his recruitment down initially to completely focus on helping his high school team win, not because he was completely set with his decision. Primary recruiter and Georgia’s wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton sealed the deal in early February, and Pickens picked up the Georgia cap on signing day.

Pickens is a superstar talent with SEC-ready attributes. He’s big but athletic, with running-back like skills with the ball in his hands. He’s the kind of player Georgia will try to get the ball to as much as possible. He might not start on opening day, but he’ll be a factor all year long as a freshman.

Dominick Blaylock

Walton’s four-star receiver Dominick Blaylock had a completely different recruitment process. He committed to Georgia just a week before Pickens initially committed to Auburn. But unlike Pickens, Blaylock was Bulldog all-the-way from day one. His recruitment was over. No more visits, no more conversations. He signed with Georgia during the Early Signing Period.

Blaylock is simply a playmaker. He can make the crazy catches, and he can also find open space to make wide open catches. He’s just as great at finding open space after the catch. He’s not going to be the most athletic player on the field, but with Georgia’s depth at receiver, he’ll spend most of his time in the slot against defensive backs he does have an athletic advantage over.

Lawrence Cager

Transfers might as well become part of the recruiting conversation. They’re now listed on commitment pages and I’m sure rankings for players in the transfer portal are right around the corner. Georgia received another boost at receiver from the portal by bringing in Miami graduate transfer Lawrence Cager. As a grad-transfer, he’s eligible to play this season.

Cager had quiet freshman and sophomore seasons at Miami, but he stepped up as a junior to catch 21 passes for 374 yards and six touchdowns. His TD’s led the Hurricanes last year. Now he’s on a Georgia team who is trying to replace a group of four receivers who combined to score 20 touchdowns in 2019. Signing a player like Cager, who has a knack for scoring is a step in the right direction. Cager is also a good fade route receiver. Fitting because Jake Fromm is a good fade route thrower.

Georgia’s overall grade for wide receivers in 2019 is clearly an A+. To go a step further, they score a 110 with Cager supplying extra credit points. All three will contribute this season. Pickens and Blaylock will be star receivers for years to come. I don’t think anyone will have crazy stats this year since Georgia will likely have 10 wide receivers, four tight ends and two running backs being major cogs in the passing game. But the three new receivers for 2019 makes a great receiving corps out of a good one.