Clemson Football: 3 Tigers who could replace Justyn Ross as No. 1 receiver

2. Clemson football’s sophomore sensation, Joe Ngata

The Tigers had one of the most impressive recruiting classes in 2019. They hauled in two four-star wide receivers that made an impact immediately for the Tigers last season.

Joe Ngata was an outside receiver that was tough to match up against due to his size and impressive athleticism.

This past season, Ngata caught 17 passes for 240 yards (averaging 14.1 yards per reception) and three touchdowns. While he’s a receiver that does not possess elite speed, he has enough breakout speed and acceleration to give him enough space between him and his defensive back. Two of his most dangerous attributes as an outside receiver are his reliability as an athletic catcher to make over-the-shoulder receptions and haul in contended passes along with dynamic route-running.

Ngata was ranked as the No. 52 overall player and ninth-best wide receiver in the 2019 recruiting class. He played immediately in his freshman season due to the unique attributes that Ngata possessed as opposed to Justyn Ross, Tee Higgins and Amari Rodgers. He is 6-3 and 205 pounds and excels at beating his defensive backs in deep routes.

Before the injury development, he was expected to step as one of the two starting outside receivers with Ross being the speedster and Ngata being a versatile route receiver.

This will a great early step for a young receiver like Ngata, who was recruited to be the future for Clemson.