Will Auburn's leading receiver be more explosive in 2022?

There are so many questions about Auburn's wide receivers.

The 2021 Auburn offense lacked explosive plays down the stretch and it shows in the average yards per catch among Auburn's top receivers from a year ago. 

Bryan Harsin is now able to press the reset button on the position and see who wins the job this offseason. 

Stat of the day

Auburn's top three receivers last year all averaged 13.2 yards per catch. 

Kobe Hudson - 44 rec, 580 yards 

Shedrick Jackson - 40 rec, 527 yards 

Demetris Robertson - 37 rec, 489 yards 

What it means

The Tigers lacked the ability to stretch opposing defenses in 2021 and that could change in 2022. Guys like Malcolm Johnson Jr., Tar'varish Dawson, Ja'Varrius Johnson, and Ze'Vian Capers could be in a position to make an impact downfield for the Tigers this season. 

While Caylin Newton technically led the team in yards per catch with 31 yards per reception on his lone catch of the year, Johnson was next with 14.4. Johnson Jr. averaged 13.7 yards per reception. 

Quarterback play will play a huge role in this. Whoever wins the job between TJ Finley, Zach Calzada, and Robby Ashford will need to hit their targets beyond 20 yards downfield to help this offense take a step forward. 

The opportunity to do so will probably be there since many defenses will have to key in on star running back Tank Bigsby and bring defensive backs closer to the line of scrimmage. 

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