Taking a look at the receivers on Georgia football’s roster for 2021.
After quarterback, the most important position for Georgia football in 2021 is wide receiver. Georgia hasn’t had a receiver go over 1,000 yards since Terrence Edwards did it in 2002. Five of the last seven teams to win the National Championship have all had a receiver that went over the 1,000-yard mark. It is time one of Georgia’s receivers stepped up and met that production.
The good news for Georgia football fans is there are a few receivers that could fill this role. Georgia has been knocking it out of the park lately when it comes to recruiting highly talented receivers. That matched with the play-calling of Todd Monken and JT Daniels at quarterback should yield some great returns in 2021. SEC secondaries should be on notice.
This may just be the deepest group of receivers to ever be in Athens. It is hard to remember there being so much talent at the position on one Georgia football team.
George Pickens
One of the best receivers in the country, George Pickens is looking to be Georgia’s second receiver to cross the 1,000-yard mark. With a quarterback like Daniels throwing the ball, there is no reason Pickens shouldn’t hit that mark this season. Pickens will be a huge weapon for Georgia in 2021 as long as he keeps his focus on beating defenders on the field and not allowing his emotions to get the best of him.
According to SEC Stat Cat, over the four games that Daniels started Pickens led all receivers with:
- 36 targets
- 24 catches
- 382 yards
- 4 touchdowns
- 8 explosive plays
- 52.78 success rate
Pickens proved over those last few games that he is no doubt Daniels’ number one target.
Jermaine Burton
One of Georgia football’s most underrated receivers, Jermaine Burton just might be the most talented of the group. Burton’s routes are crisp and he has the speed to run past defenders. Don’t sleep on Burton this season, he could end up going over 1,000 yards himself. He is Georgia football’s future go-to receiver and that future could end up being sooner rather than later.
Out of all receivers targets ten or more times by Daniels, Burton led all receivers with:
- 11.04 yards per target
- 16.56 yards per catch
- 15.63 average depth of target
Burton is a true deep threat that can take the top off of the defense. As long as the quarterback doesn’t underthrow or overthrow him he is a big-play machine.
Kearis Jackson
Through the first six games of 2020, Kearis Jackson was Georgia football’s best receiver. He caught 27 of the 40 passes that came his way. With those catches, he amassed 396 yards and two touchdowns. He was the most explosive receiver for Georgia over that time as well. Seven of his catches were for ten or more yards while the most any other receiver had was one.
Over the last four games, when Daniels took over, Jackson saw his targets diminish. However, he made the best of the 13 passes that did come his way. He caught nine of them for 118 yards and one touchdown. Expect him to be Daniels’ third target again this year behind Pickens and Burton.
Dominick Blaylock
Georgia football fans are excited to see Dominick Blaylock get back on the field. His dynamic playmaking ability was missed in 2020. He more than likely won’t be back to 100 percent this season, but just seeing him back on the field is a huge step forward.
Demetris Robertson
The Prodigal Son returned to Georgia two years ago now. His homecoming hasn’t been quite what it was hyped to be to this point. However, Demetris Robertson made a big step forward in 2020. He only saw 14 passes come his way, but he caught 11 of them for 96 yards. He didn’t score, and he averaged under ten yards a catch, but just catching over 55 percent of his targets is an improvement.
Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint
Just as Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint made his presence felt in Jacksonville last year his season was over. Like Blaylock, Rosemy-Jacksaint will be looking to bounce back after a torn ACL last season. Hopefully, he will be able to get back on the field sometime in 2021 and make a contribution to Georgia football’s offense.
Arian Smith
The receiver with the most intrigue on Georgia football’s offense might just be Arian Smith. The kid has world-class speed, as he showed last season making his first collegiate catch for a 31-yard touchdown. He gets behind the defense in a blink of an eye and if the throw is on point it’s going to be six more often than not. Smith is definitely the X-Factor in this receiver group.