Upon further (spring) review -- wide receivers

On day two of the NFL Draft, Tennessee saw Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman come off the board which made receivers 4 and 5 drafted from Josh Heupel’s offense in the last three drafts. 

The result of those guys being drafted is good for recruiting, but it creates plenty of production to replace in 2023. 

Tennessee depth chart
outside receiver	Bru McCoy, r-Sr	Donte Thornton, Jr	Kaleb Webb, r-Fr
outside receiver	Ramel Keyton, Sr	Chas Nimrod, r-Fr	Nathan Leacock, Fr,
slot receiver	Squirrel White, So	Donte Thornton, Jr

Hyatt, on his way to winning the Biletnikoff Award, had 67 catches for 1267 yards and 15 touchdowns. In 2021, Tillmans had 1081 yards and 12 touchdowns. He had 417 yards in 6 games in 2022 as an ankle injury forced him to miss half the year. 

Because of Tillmans injury, others were forced into action. They produced and gained valuable experience for the 2023 season. That experience along with the fact that receivers thrive in Heupel’s system, fans don’t have great concerns about the receiver position in 2023 aside from some worries. 

Ramel Keyton is not the flashiest guy. He’s the guy few talk about and frankly is the guy most expect to be recruited over, but the senior has stayed the course and has performed when called up. Keyton’s role grew with the injury to Tillman last season and the result was his best year as a Vol. Keyton had 31 catches for 562 yards and 5 touchdowns and has emerged as a leader in the receiver room. 

“Ramel is a savvy veteran,” receiver coach Kesley Pope said. “He is all ball and he has done a great job of taking that leadership role. He has been more of a quiet guy, just naturally, and I think he has seen himself emerge into that leadership role because he has seen a lot of football. In that room, he has seen the most ball. He has been here the most and it shows in his level of play. In situations where bullets are flying and other guys might get out of wack, Ramel is cool, calm and collected, and that allows him to make plays in those situations.” 

Bru McCoy had 667 yards receiving in his first year in Josh Heupel’s system. He missed all of spring practice due to elbow surgery. He has been cleared, is back working and will be a mainstay this fall. Because McCoy was out, there were opportunities for Kaleb Webb and Chas Nimrod. Webb had a really nice spring game and Nimrod had a better back half of spring practice than first half as he continues to develop. 

He’s starting to develop a mental-dominant trait, similar to the one Ced had where he just wants the ball in his hands,” Pope said of Nimrod. “As a receiver, coming from high school to college, especially in a setting like this, that trait a lot of times has to be developed. That’s because you are playing against guys that are more physically superior. He’s got more confidence in himself, and that’s shown on the field. We’ve been pleased with him this spring.”

Freshman Nathan Leacock is just that a freshman trying to learn the offense. He had some solid moments in spring and plenty of freshman moments. Depending on how much he grasp of the system this summer, Leacock could make a real jump in fall camp and that would be nice for the outside receiver position that’s pretty lean in numbers. 

In the slot, Squirrel White had an impressive freshman campaign. White really found his footing offensively as the season progressed and the undersized Alabama native is as mentally tough and competitive as they come. White had 481 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns as mostly a back up to Hyatt. When Hyatt opted out of the bowl game, White showed up with his first 100 yard receiving day and a touchdown on nine catches. White did miss some time with injury in the spring and durability is a question for the 170 pound slot receiver. 

Then there is Oregon transfer Dont’e Thornton who could play inside at the slot spot or outside receiver. He spent the time he was on the practice field in spring working at slot. At 6-5, Thornton physically is very different that White in the slot. Mentally, they have some similar qualities. 

“I think, skillset-wise, the tape that we saw before we got him shows you his skillset,” Pope said of Thornton. “Usually, when you get transfer guys, it is trying to understand the person. Dont’e has been phenomenal because he is all football. He loves it, he is in the building all the time. He is the first one in, last one out. He’s coming here in between classes trying to get extra work. Even days when he had not practiced, per se, he is the most exciting guy on the sideline helping coach other guys up. So, I have been pleased with him all the way through.” 

Thornton will also practice outside this fall and have the ability to play any of the receiver spot. 

Tennessee’s receiver room is talented. They have some diversity size and game wise in the slot for the first time and they have two veterans on the outside that are more than just capable as we saw last season. 

It is a small position group numbers wise which is why staying healthy is a must and why Cam Seldon is trying to learn running back and receiver right now.