The Wolfpacker NC State mailbag: Answering wide receiver questions
NC State opens fall camp on July 31 and TheWolfpacker.com is filling the void with weekly position previews. This week is all about the wide receivers, which is a revamped position group this fall.
TheWolfpacker.com subscribers asked their questions about NC State’s route runners and we answered them in a mailbag.
The Wolfpacker NC State football mailbag
How much playing time in the slot do you see Paylor playing behind KC? Any options where you get both of them on the field?
Great question. Freshman wideout Jonathan Paylor will see the field this season, despite being sophomore Kevin Concepcion’s backup. He should, honestly, play in every game this year at some point. He’s a speedy slot receiver with the skill set to do what Concepcion did last year in the backfield.
Do not be surprised to see Paylor line up in the back field in some formations — he logged 169 carries for 2,378 yards and 30 touchdowns in his senior season. That will help keep Concepcion in the slot, avoiding a plethora of carries, which he had last season. In addition to Paylor’s abilities on offense, he could also be featured in the return game this year as well. Keep an eye on the special teams unit to incorporate his skill set moving forward.
And on the second part of the question, yes, expect to see those two on the field together. That, along with the other skill players that would also be out there, would be a nightmare for opposing defenses to face. That’s why they’ll end up being featured together at some point this fall — maybe against Tennessee in Charlotte would be a good place to debut this.
Who will lead the team in receptions? Yards? TDs? Sleeper to have a breakout year. All wide-receiver based.
Receptions: Concepcion
Yards: Redshirt freshman Noah Rogers
Touchdowns (WR only): Concepcion (keep an eye on tight end Justin Joly in this category too)
How do you see snaps playing out? Obviously it depends on who is hot that game but which players do you think will get most of the snaps.
NC State obviously has legit talent in the wide receiver room this fall. Concepcion is the top talent in the room, but redshirt junior Dacari Collins and Rogers are likely starters too. Those three should pace the room in snaps — playing 30-40 a game.
Junior Wesley Grimes, and freshmen Terrell Anderson and Paylor will be featured in the offense too. They’re more likely to see 15-20 snaps on the higher end, pushing the top three wideouts for snaps (more on that in a later question answered below).
Which freshman wide receivers will redshirt?
This is a deep room, especially with five freshman wide receivers. Expect Keenan Jackson, Christian Zachary and Tank Boston to redshirt. If needed, Jackson would be the option to burn the redshirt should injuries take a toll on the position this fall. Other than that, those three should be the ones to preserve their eligibility for a year.
Other than KC, which wide receiver will catch the first TD of the season?
Hmm, good question. I’ll take Rogers on this one. He’s my pick to lead the team in receiving yards and a long touchdown grab against Western Carolina could be in the cards for the former five star recruit back in his hometown.
Is Collins expected to take another step up? Is Rogers pushing him or passing him? Where does Grimes fit in?
Yes, Collins is expected to continue to grow within NC State’s offense. At 6-foot-4, he’s the tallest of the bunch and he made strides in the final four games a year ago. Collins, who battled injury early last season, played 168 total snaps in the final four games last fall. He’s expected to build off that this year with another season under his belt. Collins had to earn his snaps down the stretch and he did just that. He should take that experience and continue to blossom from it.
Rogers, meanwhile, is equal with Collins at the moment. Both should line up as starters on the outside to start the season. He’s an elite talent with legit speed. That combination is too tough to keep off the field and he’ll get a healthy dose of targets and snaps this season.
Grimes, a Wake Forest transfer, projects to come off the bench to start. Look for him to challenge Collins for snaps, but at the moment, the former Clemson transfer seems to have the leg up in that department. Even though Grimes likely will not start the season opener, he will still be featured within the offense and have his opportunity to make an impact as well.
How in the world do you keep all this talent happy? There’s only so many plays.
While there is a lot of talent in this room, this is kind of an easy question to answer. The simple answer is to compete. NC State coach Dave Doeren loves the “competitive depth” at this position, and that will help solve the happiness problem. The easiest way of staying happy is for a player to keep himself on the field — or to earn more reps through practice.
The Wolfpack will play who they think deserves to be on the field and Doeren noted in our exclusive sit-down interview that someone could do from 40 snaps to 20 snaps in the blink of an eye this fall. Practice reps will be key in that and so will the limited snaps that some guys will have in games to earn more. Keep an eye on this room the entire year as the competition will be fierce for all 12 games (or 13 or 14 or 15 if a College Football Playoff run is in store).
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