Jack Follman’s Post-Spring 2021 Pac-12 WR Rankings

Pac-12 Football Pac-12 Position Rankings

Jack Follman’s Post-Spring 2021 Pac-12 WR Rankings

Some known veterans return at the position with some young players expected to step up

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Posted on May 27, 2021


  By Jack Follman, SuperWest Sports

The Pac-12 loses a bit of star power and production at wide receiver going into 2021. It’s kind of a rebuilding year at the position with some known veterans filling out the rankings, and some top young recruits expected to hopefully step up.

I lean towards giving those proven veterans higher rankings lately in the Pac-12 over names expected to breakout because that’s how it’s seemed to go recently in the conference outside of the rare five-star type talent, and that’s not really here this year.

1. Drake London, Junior, USC

Easy choice here as London is head-and-shoulders above the other Pac-12 returning receivers and the only one who I would consider a star. The USC basketball player is big, smooth, fast and a great playmaker.

He will also likely see more targets in 2021 with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tyler Vaughns off to the NFL.

2. Britain Covey, Junior, Utah

Britain Covey | Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Huge drop off here, and I think the 11 players after London could be lined up in just about any order because they’re all pretty similar.

The tiny Utah do-everything man has been around forever, and I think this could be the first year he stays healthy and has it all together to have a big year.

He’s already proven quite a bit, and just needs to show consistency.

3. Kyle Philips, Junior, UCLA

Kyle Philips | Ben Margot/Associated Press

I think Philips has been underrated. He’s a small, speedy receiver who can make big plays, and I think he’s ready for a big year in a full season of the Chip Kelly offense that finally came to life last season.

Watch out for him to have a sneaky big season in 2021.

4. Devon Williams, Sophomore, Oregon

The USC transfer showed a bit of what he could do in 2020.

He’s Oregon’s most-talented receiver who has had some time on the field and is big with good speed, and seems like a target that could crack 1,000 yards in 2021.

5. Michael Wilson, Senior, Stanford

Michael Wilson | Bob Drebin/isiphotos.com

I love Wilson’s game when he’s on. He’s big, strong, smooth and has nice hands. He just needs to be more consistent.

Outside of London, he might be the hardest receiver to defend in the Pac-12 because of how well he can do so many different things.

6. Bru McCoy, Sophomore, USC

Bru McCoy | John McGillen / USC Athletics

McCoy is probably the most-talented receiver in the conference and one of the most-talented players at any position.

He was one of the top recruits in the nation coming out of high school, and he started to put it together last year. He could be scary in 2021.

7. Travell Harris, Senior, Washington State

One of the fastest receivers in the Conference is one of those receivers who just makes play-after-play in WSU’s passing offense.

He probably doesn’t turn into a star in his final year, but I expect him to put up a lot of numbers.

8. Johnny Johnson, Senior, Oregon

Johnson was ultra productive in 2019, and I expected him to be one of the Pac-12’s best in 2020, but he had a quieter year with Tyler Shough throwing the balls.

He’s back for an extra year and should have his numbers go back up if the Ducks are steady at QB.

9. KD Nixon, Senior, USC

KD Nixon | Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

The productive and speedy Colorado grad transfer should be a great weapon in USC’s air raid with Kedon Slovis and London and McCoy.

He feels like one of those transfers who is going to really be a pain for opposing defenses as a third option.

10. Renard Bell, Senior, Washington State

One of the conference’s smallest players is also one of the hardest to cover. He’s a consistent pass catcher in WSU’s passing offense and has a knack for catching touchdowns.

Expect more of that in his final year.

11. Terrell Bynum, Senior, Washington

Terrell Bynum | Mike Siegel/Seattle Times

Bynum is the steady force in the Washington receiver group. He gets open, makes catches, and scores the occasional touchdown.

He’s been in school for a while, but this somehow feels like it could still be his breakout year after just being a pretty good target for three seasons now.

12. Jaylon Redd, Senior, Oregon

I’m tempted to put a young up-and-comer here, such as Troy Franklin, but I just haven’t seen the young Pac-12 receivers step up in the way they’re expected in recent years.

Like Johnson, Redd was down a bit in 2020, but I think he picks it back up in 2020.

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