If there is one position on this year’s Georgia football team where coaches will be on the lookout for players to step up their respective game, it’s wide receiver.

In sophomore George Pickens, the Bulldogs have what many consider their best player at the position since A.J. Green. Pickens caught 49 passes for 727 yards, capped by his MVP performance in the Sugar Bowl, when he hauled in 12 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown. Pickens would seem to have a good chance to become just the second Bulldog to have over 1,000 yards receiving. After him, however, questions remain.

Oh, there’s talent. Senior Demetris Robertson was effective with 30 receptions for 333 yards, while Dominick Blaylock as a freshman caught 18 passes for 310, and will apparently be ready to go after tearing his ACL in the SEC Championship.

Otherwise, coaches hope returnees Kearis Jackson, Makiya Tongue, Trey Blount, Tommy Bush, and Matt Landers can take the next step in their development. If not, that’s going to leave the door open for freshmen led by Marcus Rosemy, Jermaine Burton, and hopefully Arian Smith (coming off recent knee surgery) to make an early impact.

-- Returning Player --

(projected starters in bold)

Soph. George Pickens

Jr. Matt Landers

Sr. Demetris Robertson

Jr. Tommy Bush

Soph. Dominick Blaylock

Jr. Trey Blount

Rs. Fresh. Makiya Tongue

Rs. Soph. Kearis Jackson

-- Newcomers --

Fr. Justin Robinson

Fr. Jermaine Burton

Fr. Marcus Rosemy

Fr. Arian Smith

Fr. Ladd McConkey

-- Starting job up for grabs --

Obviously, Pickens has the X-receiver spot (split end) on lockdown, but after him, there figures to be plenty of competition. Here’s where freshman Marcus Rosemy comes in. We’ve heard good things about Rosemy during camp, and based on that, it’s conceivable the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder turns out to be the top surrogate for Pickens. Tommy Bush has also apparently started to open some eyes. Bush’s 2019 season was set back by a sports hernia, but now that he’s healthy, he could finally be ready to make an impact of his own.

Demetris Robertson played a lot of slot last fall, but he has also excelled at flanker, and due to an overall lack of experience at the position, is the favorite to start here. After him, freshman Jermaine Burton and junior Matt Landers are our picks to make the biggest impact.

At slot, Dominick Blaylock is coming off his ACL injury, but assuming he’s back to his old self, will compete with Kearis Jackson for the top spot. Right now, we’ll give Jackson the edge, but depending on how far along Blaylock truly is, that’s certainly subject to change.

-- Mr. Intrigue --

There are several routes (pardon the pun) that we could take here. So we’ll split the difference and include both Tommy Bush and Matt Landers in this particular discussion. Both receivers were considered, if we’re being honest, projects when they first signed with the Bulldogs. Could both finally be ready to be key contributors?

Landers has the talent, but some big drops in previous games have fans questioning if he’ll ever overcome that tendency, even after his first career touchdown in the Sugar Bowl win over Baylor.

Bush is the faster of the two and is finally healthy. He, along with Landers, will welcome a fresh start under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

Both receivers are 6-5, and based on athleticism, would make for inviting targets—assuming they can finally put it all together.

The spotlight is on:

Demetris Robertson hasn’t lived up to all the hype he brought with him after transferring from Cal as a former five-star performer.

The talent is there. Robertson is still the same fast, fluid athlete he always was, but so far, the numbers haven’t been what most expected they would be.

With so much attention expected to be paid to Pickens, Robertson should have plenty of one-on-one opportunities, especially at flanker, where he’s expected to see most of his reps after working in the slot for much of last year.