Georgia needs its wide receivers to step up this season

There are several things that need to improve if Georgia is going to score more than 24.5 points per game this season. That was the meager amount last year that allowed Georgia to finish 102nd in the nation in scoring offense.

First, sophomore quarterback Jacob Eason must be better. An offseason of film study and work on his mechanics should make Eason an improved product. And, of course, Eason must be protected by an improved offensive line. It can’t be any worse than it was last year.

And Georgia must get better play from its receivers. There were too many drops last year, and no one really stepped up to become the go-to receiver for Eason. Isaiah McKenzie led Georgia with 633 receiving yards, and that’s not saying much.

The Bulldogs have plenty of candidates for catches this season. In fact, every time word leaks out of Athens of who is doing well at practice, we seem to hear a new breakout receiver in the making. Maybe it means there are more options than ever before, or maybe it means no one has stepped up yet.

Terry Godwin is now a junior, but he has yet to break 400 yards in either of his first two seasons. Riley Ridley is out to prove he’s as good as his brother, Alabama star receiver Calvin Ridley. There has been a lot of buzz about Javon Wims, a tall senior who caught 16 catches last season as a JUCO transfer.

Mecole Hardman was a consensus five-star athlete out of Elbert County before last season. Georgia had him on defense, but Hardman has made the move to offense and should be a threat.

Those who have gotten into practice have raved about freshman Mark Webb, a four-star prospect from Pennsylvania.

Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney is likely to use his star running backs, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, to catch a few passes this season. There have even been rumors about Michel lining up as a wideout, which likely would scare opposing defenses.

Then there are the tight ends. Isaac Nauta was the best high school tight end in the country when he joined Georgia last year. Nauta caught 29 passes for 361 yards. For some reason, Jeb Blazevich had only six catches last year. Charlie Woerner, who many believe could be a star, needs more than the five catches he had last season. Chaney must do a better job of utilizing what might be the best group of tight ends in the SEC.

Eason needs his guy, someone to be his main target. It’s great that there are plenty of candidates, but Georgia needs a star at receiver. And historically, Georgia hasn’t had many star receivers.

Malcolm Mitchell was good a few years ago, but the Bulldogs flirted putting him at defense and a serious injury hurt his career numbers. Chris Conley and Tavarres King were both good targets, but the last star was probably A.J. Green, who had 2,619 yards in his three years before becoming a stud NFL receiver with Cincinnati.

Terrence Edwards was the best receiver Georgia ever had, between 1999-2002. Edwards and Fred Gibson, who is right behind Edwards in career receiving yards, formed a great duo in Mark Richt’s early seasons.

It’s incredible that Edwards has Georgia’s only 1,000-yard season for a receiver, when he had 1,004 in 2002.

This year’s Georgia team needs someone to become a star. Hardman and Webb may be the two new players who could break through this season, and maybe it’s Ridley’s time. Or does Chaney simply spread the ball around to have multiple options for Eason?

Either way, Georgia must get better production from its receivers. It’s easy to think Chubb and Michel and maybe freshman D’Andre Swift can simply run the ball all season, but just think how good Georgia’s offense might be if the receivers step up and make it a balanced attack.

This story was originally published August 15, 2017 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Georgia needs its wide receivers to step up this season."