College Football

Inside the surging value of receivers: Has wideout become football’s second-most important position?

Dennis Simmons knew what was possible when he started recruiting a 5-foot-8, 155-pound junior college receiver out of the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California.

“He lived in an apartment, six of these guys in a 1 ½-bedroom apartment,” Simmons said of Marquise Brown. “By the time I met him in person, I thought, ‘If this dude has that burning desire to be successful and focus on his craft, the rest of that stuff [will take care of itself].'”

At the time, Simmons was Oklahoma’s outside receivers coach. Brown was walking to and from campus, 3 miles each way, to his job as an amusement ride operator at nearby Magic Mountain Six Flags. No car, no bus but plenty of will.

Never mind that any evaluation of his measurables deemed Brown smaller than small.

“That’s why we have nutrition and strength and conditioning programs,” Simmons concluded.

Simmons took a chance. Brown took it from there.

That burning desire turned into a career that included an All-America season at Oklahoma followed by 2,361 yards and 21 touchdowns over three seasons (and counting) in the NFL.

Serendipity has intervened on the road to success. Brown, now grown to 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, plays with the same quarterback on the Baltimore Ravens he played against during youth football in his native Hollywood, Florida (Lamar Jackson).

This week of the NFL Draft, Brown is a symbol of the wide receiver position that has shaken off the coverage that has labeled it for decades. Not exactly complimentary in the past, receivers have never been as impactful as they are now.

In fact, a combination of factors have blended to make wideout the second-most important position on the field.

Call it a quantifiable assertion or an educated opinion. Offensive linemen, edge rushers and shut-down cornerbacks still earn larger contracts, but that’s only one measure of importance.

“It’s kind of like the tire cap on…

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