Michigan's spring football practice begins in just nine days on March 23, which means it's time to take a look at how each position group stacks up entering next season.
Today we start with the wide receivers, which should be an area of strength for the Wolverines in the fall.
Returning Players
Newcomers
Observations
Michigan is loaded at receiver entering 2018.
Black and Peoples-Jones highlight a strong sophomore class along with Collins and Martin. Black played in just three games last year before suffering a season ending foot injury. He should be ready to go for the spring and can be counted on as Michigan's No. 1 guy in the fall.
Peoples-Jones is primed for a breakout after a solid freshman campaign as well. He should slide in as the perfect No. 2 receiver opposite of Black.
Having junior quarterback Shea Patterson on the team and starting, if ruled eligible, will be enormous for the development for U-M's wideouts. Having such poor quarterback play a season ago stunted the Wolverines' growth.
Perry should slide in as the team's slot receiver. The leading returner receiver from 2017 is a solid option and can typically be counted on, as long as he's not being looked at as a go-to man or top player at the position. He's also the only senior at the position.
Collins and Martin both should see more playing time, but expect Collins to be the one that really takes a significant step forward. He's a huge target standing at 6-foot-4, and could become a quality deep threat for Michigan.
Crawford and McDoom could find themselves the odd men out. Crawford had some success last year, but doesn't have the upside Collins does. McDoom simply doesn't have the best hands, but will see action on jet sweeps as he has in the past. He has the speed and U-M coach Jim Harbaugh wants to use it as best he can.
Schoenle is mostly a blocking wide receiver and is solid in that role. Don't expect that to change much this year. He isn't much of a threat through the passing game, but will play.
Bell has blazing speed, but it's difficult to see where he'd see the field as a freshman. He's a redshirt candidate, unless he can be of value on special teams. He has a history of returning kicks, and could find that as his quickest way onto the field.
Projected Depth Chart
1. Tarik Black
2. Donovan Peoples-Jones
3. Grant Perry
4. Nico Collins
5. Kekoa Crawford
6. Oliver Martin
Key Position Battle
It's a little more blurred with receivers than some positions where there is only one starter, but the fight for playing time here could come down to Collins, Crawford and Martin. If you want to include Perry, you could, but because he is more of a slot receiver, it shouldn't impact the race for the third outside guy much. Collins has the size and upside to win the job, while Martin could eventually challenge Perry in the slot.
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