With or Without Walker, No Shortage In Depth at WR for Heels

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CHAPEL HILL – When Chip Lindsey became took over the high-powered North Carolina offense, he inherited arguably the best quarterback in America. But he also acquired a number of talented wide receivers.

It was a built-in near-perfect match for someone charged with guiding the Tar Heels into the end zone over and over again.

“I think that room is impressive…,” Lindsey recently said. “We have got a solid group, they are competing every day. It’s good when you have a lot of guys in the mix.”

With the uncertainty surrounding the eligibility of Carolina wide receiver Devontez Walker, who is projected by many as a top-50 pick in the upcoming NFL draft, UNC should still field a talented and deep unit plenty capable of posting big numbers.

Through the transfer portal, Carolina also secured the commitment of former Georgia Tech receiver Nate McCollum, who showed he can be consistent even while playing with a struggling offense when he managed to catch 60 passes for 655 yards without a quarterback who threw for at least 1500 yards. Now, in a much different offensive situation, that consistency appears to have followed him to Chapel Hill.

“Nate McCollum stands out to me. He’s a guy that’s really consistent every day,” said Lindsey “He’s the same guy, a very detailed route runner that catches the ball.”

Lindsey doesn’t have to just rely on McCollum, he has the luxury of leaning on the depth and experience that was gained last season when the Tar Heels were forced to play portions of last season without their top two receivers Josh Downs and Antoine Green.

UNC has junior wideout JJ Jones, who caught 24 passes for 434 yards and two touchdowns. Kobe Paysour stepped up in the absence of Downs, starting the three games the current Indianapolis Colts receiver miss, as he averaged nearly seven catches for 88 yards per game.

Gavin Blackwell also flashed playmaking ability averaging 13.3 yards per catch, and Andre Greene Jr showed off his potential making an acrobatic touchdown catch in the Tar Heels’ bowl game against Oregon.

All of this talent forces the group to compete at a high level, which makes the unit even better in the end.

“And the thing about that room is every day you have to go out and compete,” Lindsey said. “You have a lot of bodies in there who have played some, and you are going to need them.”

Having this much depth at wide receiver is no accident. Carolina Coach Mack Brown credits wide receiver coach Lonnie Galloway, for not only recruiting them, but developing NFL players, which makes the Tar Heels even more enticing to prep prospects.

“Lonnie Galloway is one of the best coaches in the country,” Brown said. “Look at what he’s done with our passing game and our receivers, five receivers in the NFL after four years. It’s amazing what he’s done, and that’s why we recruit well at that position, because they all want to be the next guy in the NFL. “

When you recruit a position well, there will always be someone who could unexpectedly burst onto the scene. While it may be hard for the younger Tar Heel pass catchers to see significant playing time this season, Brown is also excited for the future of the unit.

“Chris Culliver looks really good. He’s got to learn what to do, he’s just been here a month,” Brown said. “He’s big, he’s tall, he’s fast. He’s everything we thought he was. He and Christian and Hamilton have looked good in practice.

“Doc Chapman stepped up. He struggled catching the ball until about a week ago, then something clicked for him, and he’s caught the ball and been good in space.”

In Lindsey’s last season with UCF, he managed to get nine players at least one hundred receiving yards on the season, eight of the players had at least 20 catches. The Knights under Lindsey averaged 78.3 plays per game, seventh most in college football last season. If Lindsey would like to keep up that pace, depth in the receiver room is vital.

“We are going to play with tempo, they are going to get gassed some,” he said. “So, we have to make sure that we are two deep at all three of those positions.”

With all the talent accumulated since Brown's return to Chapel Hill, reaching a two-deep in the receiver room should be no issue for Lindsey and company.

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