After focusing on the NFL Draft, it’s time to jump back into our What We Learned series, taking a look at players who either a) opened our eyes or b), showed they’re ready to begin taking on a larger role.
Today, we’ll give some love to one of the smallest men in the Bulldog football program: wide receiver Mekhi Mews.
Let’s take a look.
What We Learned: Mekhi Mews
Georgia has a history of walk-ons who have gone on to play important roles on the Bulldog football team. Could Mekhi Mews do so as well?
After his performance in G-Day, maybe so.
At just 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds, Mews may be easy to miss on the field amongst a plethora of very big men. But as he approaches his third season on the Georgia football team, the former Central Gwinnett star is starting to make some inroads.
Mews was targeted six times during G-Day, catching four passes for 91 yards and a touchdown, the top numbers of the day for any receiver. Of the 91 yards, 51 were after the catch.
The Bulldogs also implemented Mews in the return game. He brought back a punt for a nine-yard pickup and a kickoff for 29.
With additions like Dominic Lovett and RaRa Thomas, Georgia has a deep recceiving room. While it likely will prove difficult for Mews to carve out extensive playing time, it certainly appears he’s earned the trust of coaches to give him a look every now and then.
Where He Fits In
We touched on that just above. Along with Lovett and Thomas, the Bulldogs have an experienced group of wideouts in Arian Smith, Ladd McConkey, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, and Dillon Bell, just to name a few.
But that doesn’t mean Mews will not receive some opportunities.
One, he’s fast. Mews has some of the better speed among the receivers, and he’s hard to grab once he's in the open field.
Obviously, when you’re short in stature, you’ve got to work just a little bit harder, but Mews has shown he’s willing to put in the effort to give him the best opportunity possible.
What To Expect
While Mews most likely will not be one of the first receivers off the bench, it’s absolutely no stretch to believe he’ll receive a few second-half looks for the Bulldogs this fall.
Mews played in three games last year. Between looks late in games and on special teams, those opportunities could easily triple.
Quoting Kirby Smart
"Mews is a guy that last year kept getting really close to being able to play and help us. He was on scout team, so I had seen him make plays on scout team. We put him in a couple of plays as the returner. Very sure-handed, and makes good decisions. He's got some return ability. Exciting, and you get what you get from Mews every day. The guy is a worker, and I thought he made some plays today with his feet and made some really tough catches." - Kirby Smart
