College Football: Each Power Five conference’s top 3 receivers for 2020

Jaylen Waddle has speed that simply cannot be taught. The Alabama wide out is both an elite receiver and return man.

In two seasons with the Tide, Waddle has hauled in 78 passes for 1,408 yards and 13 touchdowns. He’s also returned two punts and a kick for touchdowns. He earned All-American honors as a return man in 2019 and the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2018.

Waddle is projected by many to be a first-round pick in the 2021 draft, which will likely be the case if he can continue to blow by SEC defensive backs and special team units.

It’s hard to believe DeVonta Smith is already entering his senior season at Alabama. As a freshman, Smith put his name into college football history books when he hauled in a 41-yard pass in overtime to seal a national title game victory for the Tide over Georgia.

As a sophomore in 2018, Smith played an increased role for the Tide as he hauled in 42 catches for 693 yards and six touchdowns. He broke out in 2019 as a junior, making a career-high 68 catches for 1,256 yards and 14 touchdowns to earn both second-team All-American and first-team All-SEC honors.

Smith will look to put the finishing touches on a historic college career with another stellar campaign as a senior, which also could secure himself a first-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.

There’s no better receiver returning to the SEC or college football than LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase. Chase put up video game-like numbers as a sophomore in 2019 as he helped guide the Tigers to an undefeated 15-0 season that ended with a national championship.

Chase had 84 catches for a nation-leading 1,780 yards and 20 touchdown grabs. He broke both the SEC’s single-season record for receiving yards and touchdown catches, earned unanimous All-American and All-SEC first-team honors and won the 2019 Biletnikoff Award.

In 2020, Chase won’t have Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow throwing to him but should still again put together a monster season that may just win him another Biletnikoff Award.

Honorable mention: Jhamon Ausbon, Texas A&M