Andrew Harbaugh | June 19th, 2019

The Bachelorette is already heavy into its current season and while Hannah Brown searches for love, along with those of you who suffered through this week’s episode, I on the other hand have found love in the form of wideouts this week.

Each week leading up to the new college football season I will be giving out roses to one player from each conference based on position. If a player receives a rose that means he is getting a ton of love and is a much watch for this upcoming season.

I hope this also serves as a reminder of certain players, some prominent, some not, that we may have forgotten about over the summer.

This receiving class is something of epic proportions. I don’t remember a class like this coming along since we had Odell Beckham Jr., Mike Evans, and Jarvis Landry all in the same class in 2014. Is this class that good? I think it may end up being better to be honest.

With that aggressive statement fresh in your mind let’s get to it shall we!

Rose Recipient from the ACC: Tee Higgins, Clemson

After a dominate performance by his teammate Justyn Ross in the College Football Playoff many people are forgetting the year that Tee Higgins had. Up until Ross exploded, many people were talking about Higgins and Alabama receiver Jerry Jeudy in the same breath.

After accumulating 59 receptions, 12 touchdowns and finishing just shy of 1,000 yards with 936, Higgins should see his stats take a jump with a full year of Trevor Lawrence passing him the ball. His route running and footwork don’t get talked about enough but it’s no fault of his own.

In a receiving class loaded with top-end talent a team may have to “settle” for Higgins. Whichever team is lucky enough to get Higgins on the back end of round one or early round two will be happy to give him the rose the same way I am.

Rose Recipient from the Big 12: CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma

Quick: who was the best receiver on Oklahoma last year? If your answer was anyone other than CeeDee Lamb you are incorrect.

While he doesn’t have a nickname like Hollywood he has just as much if not more talent. Lamb may see a dip in production due to Jalen Hurts taking over for Kyler Murray but that doesn’t make him any less of a prospect. Last year, even while sharing targets with Marquise Brown, he amassed 65 receptions, 1,158 yards and found the end zone 11 times on top of it all.

Lamb has top-end speed, burst, and the way he reads defenses before and after getting  the ball is elite. People may often talk about how Lincoln Riley produces quarterbacks but he also has produced insane receiving talent with Dede Westbrook, Marquise Brown and now CeeDee Lamb. If Riley gives Lamb his own set of roses, that will confirm the glowing endorsement Lamb is already receiving from draft fans. 

Rose Recipient from the Big Ten: Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan

Donovan Peoples-Jones came into Michigan as a top recruit earning a top-15 recruit grade and being the top-ranked receiver in the 2017 class. Since then he has dealt with earning a larger role in his freshman year offensively and then dealt with the up-and-down play of Shea Patterson his sophomore year. As for his junior year? People at Michigan have high expectations but I feel most of the country is forgetting about him.

Allow this to be a reintroduction to one of the most talented receivers in the country. DPJ has proven to be a legitimate red zone threat and has shown that on top of that he has some of the best hands in the country to boot. With Patterson benefiting from a full year of being in Jim Harbaugh‘s system, we should see the boost that this Michigan offense has been waiting for since Denard Robinson graduated.

If Patterson has a solid year, that means DPJ will also have a great year. They complete each other as all great couples do. If that doesn’t deserve a rose then nothing does.

Rose Recipient from the Pac-12: Laviska Shenault, Colorado

What is the first thing you notice when you watch Laviska Shenault? His route running? His hands? For me, it’s his dreads. His dreads are grown in honor of his dad who died tragically when Shenault was just nine years old.

This explains so much as to why so many people in the college football and draft community love Shenault the person. While his personality may be his best trait he isn’t a half-bad football player either. Since arriving in Boulder, Shenault has accumulated 1,126 yards and scored 11 times as well and in his junior year he could very well double these numbers as the undisputed top weapon for a promising Colorado team.

Shenault at this point is my number two receiver behind the next player I’m writing about but come next April in Vegas a team will probably be spending a top ten pick on him. Give him all the roses you can before it becomes the latest draft trend.

Rose Recipient from the SEC: Jerry Jeudy, Alabama

I’ve been following college football and the NFL draft thoroughly since my senior year of high school in 2013 and have done grades for the last two drafts. Based on what I have seen this summer I have Jerry Jeudy right behind Quenton Nelson as the top prospect I have watched.

He has elite traits across the board in regards to his hands, route running, feet, and vision. Chad Johnson would brag he could stop on a dime, and Jerry Jeudy has that same talent. He is the complete package and has showcased that regardless of the man throwing him the ball which is rare for a receiving prospect.

I feel like I have said enough for you to understand why he gets a rose from me as a prospect.

Rose Recipient from the Non-Power 5: Jalen Reagor, TCU

Jalen Reagor has a chance to make the NFL forget about the hype train that was Josh Doctson coming out of TCU back in 2016. Raegor may be reminding everyone of Doctson as a propsect but he is his own player that deserves a chance to build his own image in your head.

I see a lot of Jarvis Landry coming out of LSU in Reagor. They have similar size as both are 5’11”, similar route trees, and both use their footwork to get themselves open rather than being physical. Coming off of a season where he nearly doubled his production from freshman to sophomore, many people are expecting a big bounce back year from TCU and Reagor will lead that charge.

Reagor is not only the best non-Power 5 receiving prospect but he may be the best prospect period, which earns him the final rose this week.

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