2022 BC Position Preview Series: Wide Receivers
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
Wide receivers at Boston College were an afterthought for most of the 2010s. There was Alex Amidon, who posted back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2012 and 2013. But, once he graduated, the next BC wideout to log at least 500 receiving yards was Kobay White in 2018.
That's not to say the Eagles didn't have wide receiver talent. When healthy, White was a legit deep ball threat. Quarterback-turned receiver Jeff Smith and return extraordinaire Michael Walker even got their shot at the NFL, with Smith actually carving out a still-active New York Jets career.
But when Zay Flowers came along in 2019, the position group inherited a different kind of zest. He flashed his skill set as a speedy freshman, however, he was underutilized in the back half of that season. It wasn't until now-former offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. arrived on the Heights that Flowers was used properly.
The same could be said for the rest of BC's receivers, really.
In 2020, Flowers emerged as one of the top wideouts in not just the ACC but the entire country. The 5-foot-10 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native exploded for 56 catches and 892 receiving yards—the 18th most in the nation that year—as well as nine touchdowns, the most in the ACC in the COVID-19-affected season. The rest of BC's pass catchers benefited, too.
The Eagles had five players with 28 or more receptions. That group included now-Miami Dolphins tight end Hunter Long and veteran scat back Travis Levy. Regardless, the three wide receivers in that bunch—Flowers, Jaelen Gill and CJ Lewis—rounded out a respectable crew.
All three returned for 2021. Except, the season-threatening injury quarterback Phil Jurkovec sustained to his throwing hand in Week 2 derailed what was supposed to be an encore performance. Foot and finger injuries to Gill and Lewis, respectively, didn't help, either. Now, it's up to OC John McNulty and new wide receivers coach Darrell Wyatt to re-establish the rebrand the position group began building in 2020.
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
WR Z (1) - Zay Flowers (Sr.)2021 Stats: 44 receptions, 746 yards, 17.0 avg, 5 TD
WR F (1) - Jaelen Gill (R-Sr.)
2021 Stats: 24 receptions, 269 yards, 11.2 avg, 1 TD
WR X (1) - Jaden Williams (So.)
2021 Stats: 19 receptions, 212 yards, 11.2 avg, 3 TD
WR Z (2) - Dante Reynolds (R-Fr.)
2021 Stats: N/A
WR F (2) - Lewis Bond (R-Fr.)
2021 Stats: 1 reception, 6 yards, 6.0 avg, 0 TD
WR X (2) - Joe Griffin (Fr.)
2021 Stats: N/A
PFF BREAKDOWN
Flowers is one of two FBS wide receives to have notched at least six 40-plus-yard receptions each of the last two seasons. He's known for hitting the home run ball. But he should be used everywhere on the field, and that's something Cignetti got away from in 2021, particularly when Jurkovec was sidelined, and backup Dennis Grosel struggled to connect with Flowers downfield.Flowers posted 2.27 yards per route run last season—an average of 0.81 yards more than Gill, BC's second-leading wide receiver in 2021. He also ranked sixth in the conference in targets (29) for passes 20 or more yards downfield. Flowers brought down just nine of those, in large part because of passing inaccuracy. The five ACC wideouts with more "deep" targets than him each caught at least 13 of those passes, according to Pro Football Focus.
Meanwhile, Flowers was targeted just 17 times on "short" passes, which PFF distinguishes as attempts that range 0-9 yards. And he was targeted 16 times on "intermediate" passes, which PFF labels as attempts that range 10-19 yards. Not to mention that Flowers carried the ball just seven times last season. It would have been eight had Jurkovec's alleged blindside block not been called in the regular season finale. The point is, Flowers needs the ball in his hands more, even as a runner. Keep in mind, as a freshman, Flowers racked up 27 totes for 195 yards and a score.
Gill was BC's primary slot receiver last season. He lined up in the slot 56% of the time, according to PFF. That's not to say Gill can't make plays on the perimeter. During his two seasons at BC, the former Ohio State transfer has displayed a head-turning ability to highpoint the football, even when Jurkovec's pocket breaks down. Gill's 85.3% contested catch rate is great evidence of that skill set. He reeled in 5-of-6 contested catch attempts last season.
Jaden Williams stormed out of the gates as a true freshman. After an impressive fall camp, the former two-star recruit from the Lone Star State put the ACC on notice with three touchdown grabs in his first four games. At times, though, Williams disappeared. Against North Carolina State, he had a case of the drops, which played a big role in elevating his drop percentage to 13.0%.
Drops were a bit of a problem for BC last season, across the board. Here's where the Eagles' wideouts ranked in drop percentage among ACC receivers with at least 15 targets in 2021, per PFF.
CJ Lewis: T-8th (14.3%)
Jaden Williams: T-12th (13.0%)
Jaelen Gill: T-17th (11.1%)
Zay Flowers: T-29th (8.3%)
Flowers was the best of the group, though. And that statement rings true for pretty much every statistical category. He even ranked tied for sixth among all ACC wide receivers last year in yards after the catch per reception (7.4).
Flowers is elusive in the open field. He registered 10 missed tackles forced last season, according to PFF. That's seven more than any other Eagles receiver in 2021.
He uses his joysticks to drop defenders and turn first downs into big gainers. That's why he's the most dynamic BC receiver in recent memory.
BIGGEST QUESTIONS
1. Will McNulty maximize Flowers' potential? McNulty told reporters that three numbers were written on his board this spring: 70, 822 and 12. Those are the reception, receiving yards and receiving touchdown totals Flowers needs to leave BC as the school's all-time leading receiver. McNulty is dead set on helping his senior wideout get there. Flowers turned down a pair of six-figure offers from NIL companies—each that would have required him to enter the portal and transfer to a specific school, as first reported by ESPN's Pete Thamel.
Flowers wanted to stay at BC to get his degree and prove that he's the best wideout in the ACC alongside his quarterback, Jurkovec. If McNulty finds ways to get Flowers the ball all over the field—not just on go routes—that decision will be further validated. McNulty was great at getting his playmakers the ball in his first go-around as Rutgers' OC. In 2007, McNulty oversaw the first FBS offense with a 3,000-yard passer (Mike Teel), a 2,000-yard rusher (Ray Rice) and two 1,000-yard receivers (Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood). At the time, Rutgers set single-season school records for scoring (426 points), first down (294) and total offense (5,841 yards).
