Pre-Spring Position Preview: Breaking down the Alabama WRs

A closer look at the Alabama wide receivers ahead of spring practice

Before we know it, new Alabama head football coach Kalen DeBoer will hit the practice field with his Crimson Tide players for the first time when spring practice gets underway in March.

With the retirement of the legendary Nick Saban, there have not been this many question marks surrounding the football program since 2007 when Saban took over.

Contrary to popular belief, Alabama still has one of the most talented rosters in the country and should be right in the thick of the college football playoff conversation.

As the anticipation builds leading up to spring practice, Roll Tide Wire will preview each position group. We have already looked at the quarterbacks and the running backs, so now we will shift our focus to the Alabama wide receivers.

Malik Benson could be Alabama’s go-to guy in 2023

Malik Benson could be in for a special season for Alabama in 2023!

Ever since Julio Jones signed with Alabama all the way back in 2008, the Crimson Tide has always trotted out some high-level wide receivers. In 2022, that standard took a bit of a dip and it has fans wondering who could potentially be the next star out wide in the Alabama offense.

Sure you have veteran guys such as Ja’Corey Brooks and Jermaine Burton who are really talented, but I am not sure they have any elite traits. Allow me to introduce the new kid on the block, Malik Benson.

Benson was widely regarded as one of the top junior college prospects and was even considered a five-star according to On3. Benson has world-class athleticism and is a dynamic playmaker who is capable of taking it to the house at any given moment. At 6’1″ 185, Benson has great length which allows him to make contested catches. Benson is smooth in and out of his breaks and has the ability to be an elite route runner if given the proper coaching.

Benson’s upside is probably higher than anyone else’s in the receiver room and remember, he was already taking snaps with the first-team offense after only a handful of practices this spring.

Alabama needs a true No. 1 receiver who opposing coaches fear and Benson may be just that this fall for the Crimson Tide.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.

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Post-spring depth chart projections for Alabama’s wide receivers

Projecting Alabama’s wide receiver depth chart post-spring!

Now that spring football has officially wrapped up and the 2023 NFL draft is complete, it is time to shift our focus to the offseason.

Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide have a ton of questions marks exiting spring and fans are chomping at the bit for answers.

So as we dive into the dog days of summer, I thought we could take a look, position by position, and project the possible depth chart for the 2023 Alabama football team post-spring.

Together we have already taken a look at the quarterbacks and running backs and today we will continue our dive into the offensive skill positions and glance at the wide receivers.

Let’s roll!

5 offensive storylines to follow as Alabama begins spring practice

Top storylines to follow on the offensive side of the ball as Nick Saban and the Alabama football team begin spring practice!

On Monday, [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Alabama Crimson Tide football team began spring practice in Tuscaloosa.

Over the course of five weeks, Alabama will complete 14 practices and will conclude the spring activities with the annual A-Day Game on Saturday, April 22 from inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

With each new season, position battles and question marks take center stage and 2023 will be no different.

Coach Saban not only has a lot of new faces on the roster, but a ton of new coaches will also be making their Alabama debuts in 2023.

As spring practice gets underway, let’s take a look a look some of the top storylines on each side of the ball. We will begin with the offense!

Position Breakdown: Alabama’s WR’s ahead of spring practice

A deep dive into the Alabama wide receiver room ahead of spring practice!

We are now just a couple of weeks out from [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Alabama football team taking the practice field to begin spring ball.

As is the case each offseason, there are many questions that need to be answered before the Tide hit the field to start the 2023 season.

As spring practice creeps closer, we are going to break down each position group on both sides of the ball. We have already looked at the quarterbacks, running backs, defensive line, tight ends, outside linebackers, and inside linebackers.

Today we will head back to the offensive side of the ball and take a dive into the Alabama wide receivers.

Let’s roll!

Projecting Alabama’s top wide receivers entering the 2022 season

Projecting the top wide receiver targets for Bryce Young entering the 2022 season.

Football is back, Tide fans! Alabama will kick the 2022 football season off in less than two weeks and the anticipation continues to mount.

As is the case in most seasons, questions regarding the starting lineup for week one are dominating message boards and Twitter threads. Well, with the season just around the corner, I thought I would start dropping my educated projections of who you might see take the first snaps at each position group.

Some groups are obvious such as quarterback and linebacker, but nevertheless, we will take a look at each group and give a little insight into who you might see take the field against Utah State on Sept. 3.

Today we are going to take a look at a group that has some question marks entering the season, the wide receivers.

Let’s roll!

Predicting Alabama’s WR depth chart after the addition of Tyler Harrell

Projecting Alabama’s WR depth chart after the addition of Tyler Harrell

On Friday afternoon Nick Saban and the Alabama football team received a massive commitment via the transfer portal from former Louisville wide receiver Tyler Harrell.

Harrell will join a loaded but unproven wide receiver corp in Tuscaloosa and will most likely push for some significant playing time due to his elite ability to stretch a defense vertically.

It’s hard to say with absolute certainty who the starting receivers will be for the Tide this fall. Outside of Jermaine Burton, who coach Saban praised all throughout spring practice, there hasn’t been anyone that has taken the bull by the horns just yet.

With the addition of Harrell, I thought it was a good time to try and see if we can predict how things will shake up for Alabama at the wide receiver position.

First…X-WR position…

Spring Preview: Looking at the Alabama WR depth chart

Jermaine Burton and Agiye Hall could make for a fantastic duo

One of the biggest strengths of the 2021 Alabama football team was the wide receiver position. But now the Tide must replace its top three targets from last season in Jameson Williams, John Metchie, and Slade Bolden.

The absence of Williams and Metchie was felt a bit prematurely in the national championship game against Georgia when Metchie missed the entire contest and Williams went down early with an ACL injury and the Alabama offense fell stagnant.

Talent is not the question in Tuscaloosa. Alabama has recruited the wide receiver position as well as anyone in the country over the past several years. The question is whether or not that talent can translate to on-the-field production for reigning Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young.

Alabama is not only returning several young players, but coach Nick Saban was also able to grab arguably the best wide receiver in the transfer portal in former Georgia Bulldog Jermaine Burton.

Burton brings plenty of talent and experience but will be asked to carry the load for the first time in his career. A young player must step up and it starts this spring.

Let’s take a look at the wide receiver depth in Tuscaloosa.