2006 Preseason All-Americans - Wide Receivers

2006 CFN All-America Wide Receivers

QBs | RBs | TEs | OTs  OGs | Cs | DEs | DTs | LBs  CBs | Ss | PKs | Ps | KRs

2006 CFN Preseason First Team All-Americans
Dwayne Jarrett, Jr. USC - 91 catches, 1,274 yds, 14 ypc, 16 TD
This is assuming he’s eligible after getting into trouble with the NCAA for not paying enough rent for his off-campus apartment with Matt Leinart last year. Jarrett spent his freshman season being compared to Mike Williams, and then had scouts thinking he's even better than the current Detroit Lion after a brilliant sophomore season showing off hands, the ability to make the acrobatic grab, and consistency. He had the full trust of Leinart to be the go-to, crunch time receiver coming through with big play after big play leading the team with 31 more catches than the number two receiver, Steve Smith. He has caught passes for 75 yards or more in 15 of the 26 games he has played in with a whopping 29 touchdowns in two years.
 
Sidney Rice, Soph. South Carolina - 70 catches, 1,143 yds, 16.3 ypc, 13 TD
The 6-3, 200-pound sophomore still needs some polish, but he's still one of the nation's top receivers and a top-flight pro prospect. He missed the opener with a broken finger, and then blew up as the team's main weapon with five 100-yard games in his final six highlighted by a brilliant 12-catch, 191-yard, one touchdown performance in the Independence Bowl loss to Missouri. The only question is his durability suffering a knee injury in 2004, the broken finger last year, and a thumb injury this season that kept him out of spring ball. 

Preseason 25 Best Receivers
1. Dwayne Jarrett, Jr. USC
2. Sidney Rice, Soph. South Carolina
3. Calvin Johnson, Jr., Georgia Tech
4. Jason Hill, Sr. Washington State
5. Davone Bess, Soph. Hawaii
6. Ted Ginn Jr., Jr. Ohio State
7. Jeff Samardzija, Sr. Notre Dame
8. Steve Smith, Sr. USC
9. Jarrett Hicks, Sr., Texas Tech
10. Dorien Bryant, Jr. Purdue
11. Joel Filani, Sr., Texas Tech
12. Mario Urrutia, Soph. Louisville
13. Todd Blythe, Jr., Iowa State
14. DeSean Jackson, Soph. California
15. Dwayne Bowe, Sr. LSU
16. James Hardy, Soph. Indiana
17. Derrick Williams, Soph. Penn State
18. Evan Moore, Sr. Stanford
19. Aundrae Allison, Sr. East Carolina
20. Mario Manningham, Soph. Michigan
21. Earl Bennett, Soph. Vanderbilt
22. Chansi Stuckey, Sr., Clemson
23. Dallas Baker, Sr. Florida
24. D'Juan Woods, Sr., Oklahoma State
25. Paul Williams, Sr. Fresno State

2006 CFN Preseason Second Team All-Americans
Jason Hill, Sr. Washington State - 62 catches, 1,097 yds, 17.7 ypc, 13 TD
 In one of the biggest surprises in college football this off-season, Hill decided to return for his senior season when he could've been a first day draft pick. He's has the size at 6-2 and 208 pounds and the deep speed to be this year's star you need to watch. Not just flashy, he's consistent and clutch. Of course, his big performances are what get him noticed with a 240-yard, three touchdown day against Cal and a 190-yard, one score performance against Oregon State. He has only gone six games over the last two seasons without a touchdown.

Calvin Johnson, Jr., Georgia Tech - 54 catches, 888 yds, 16.4 ypc, 6 TD
 While his numbers slipped after a record-setting freshman season, the 6-4, 235-pound Johnson became a more complete receiver and stopped relying solely on his ridiculous talents to get by. He figured out how to be more physical and use his strength and size more to his advantage and showed better route running ability. Now he has to be an even more polished route runner and do a better job of being open despite being the focus of every defensive gameplan. If he's the be-all-end-all pro prospect he's supposed to be, he has be a 7-10 catch per game receiver no matter what.

2006 CFN Honorable Mention All-Americans
(in alphabetical order)
Davone Bess, Soph. Hawaii - 89 catches, 1,124 yds, 12.6 ypc, 14 TD
UH head coach June Jones has gone as far as to call Bess the best receiver he has ever coached. Remember, Jones coached in the NFL. Bess spent his senior year in high school as a quarterback, sat out the 2004 season, and then ripped it up as a true freshman with seven 100-yard games highlighted by a two game stretch against Fresno State and Nevada when he caught 26 passes for 329 yards and two touchdowns. He's as tough as they come with phenomenal hands and great concentration around the goal line.

Dorien Bryant, Jr. Purdue - 80 catches, 960 yds, 12 ypc, 4 TD
 While there have been some tremendously productive receivers in the Joe Tiller era, Bryant was the most heralded recruit and arguably has the most talent. He had a better season than he got credit for considering the shaky play of the quarterbacks, and there wasn't a more dominant receiver in America over a three game stretch when Bryant caught 40 passes for 421 yards and three touchdowns against Notre Dame, Iowa and Northwestern. His production tailed off once Curtis Painter took over, but he was still a producer. While he's not huge, he's too quick to cover one on one.

Jarrett Hicks, Sr., Texas Tech - 65 catches, 1,048 yds, 13.1 ypc, 10 TD
Hicks has been one of the nation's top producing receivers over the last two seasons with moments of explosion and unstoppable stretches. He's great at finding his way in the end zone with 173 career grabs for 2,525 yards and 28 touchdowns. At 6-3 and 208 pounds, he's too physical for most defensive backs. At the X position, he has enough speed to be a solid deep threat.

Ted Ginn, Jr. Ohio State - 51 catches, 803 yds, 15.7 ypc, 4 TD, 12 carries, 83 yds, 6.9 ypc, 1 TD
 What was wrong with Ted Ginn? That was the cry early last year when one of college football's top all-around players failed to make any top all-around plays. As it turned out, he just needed a little time to breakout, and then he showed off his skills with some big punt returns while growing into a dangerous receiver finishing with an eight-catch, 167-yard, one touchdown day against Notre Dame. The light has appeared to go on and he should be the All-America, number one target he was expected to blossom into last season.

Jeff Samardzija, Sr. Notre Dame - 77 catches, 1,249 yds, 16.2 ypc, 15 TD
 A decent target over his first two seasons, Samardzija exploded into an All-American leading the Irish in receiving as Brady Quinn's top target. He was unstoppable up until the Fiesta Bowl with six 100-yard days and touchdown catches in every game but two: the loss to Ohio State and the win over Navy. The 6-5, 220-pound senior has grown into a first round pro prospect with great speed to go along with reliable hands. Drafted by the Chicago Cubs, he'll also look into trying to become a two-sport athlete at the next level.

Steve Smith, Sr. USC - 60 catches, 957 yds, 15.9 ypc, 5 TD
Smith could've gone pro this year but returned to join Dwayne Jarrett to form the nation's best 1-2 receiving tandem. He showed no problems from the broken leg that knocked him out in 2004 with the same speed and quickness he had before the injury. A decent sized target at 6-0 and 195 pounds, he also has some of the best wheels on the team.