Minnesota Football: 3 Way-too-early 2022 Breakout Candidates
No. 2 – Dylan Wright, WR
After playing in just five games in 2020 with Texas A&M, and three games the year before as a true freshman, Dylan Wright officially transferred over to P.J. Fleck’s squad in 2021, where he saw far more action straight out of the gate.
Playing in 12 games, Wright finished with 365 receiving yards on just 18 catches along with two touchdowns and a team-high 20.3 yards per reception. Solidifying himself as one of the top deep threats in the Big Ten, and one of the most explosive young receivers in college football.
Before committing to Texas A&M in 2018, Wright was a top-100, four-star recruit, and an Under Armour All-American at West Mesquite High School in Texas. Ranking as the 12th wide receiver in his class, and the 11th overall prospect in the state of Texas, per 247Sports.
While his numbers from last year might not jump off the page compared to other elite Big Ten wide receivers, it was also his first full season experiencing legitimate playing time, with an entirely new program and offensive scheme, nevertheless.
So, with three more years of eligibility awaiting him in Minnesota, and a team in desperate need of more production at the receiver position, I expect his numbers to skyrocket in 2022.
Especially since he’s the only Golden Gopher on the roster that has the size, physicality, and elite jumping ability to dominate contested-catch scenarios and 50/50 balls. Just take a look at how he moss’d Ohio State defensive back, Lejond Cavazos, in Minnesota’s season opener last year.
https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1433598169619865607
With Minnesota football’s two leading ball carriers from 2021 now departing from the program, and the rest coming off major injuries, it feels rather safe to assume that the Golden Gophers will lean a little more on the passing game next season, especially if they want to improve on their abysmal 162.0 passing yards and 0.9 receiving touchdowns per game in 2021. Both of which rank outside of the top 100.
So, there’s a very realistic chance that Dylan Wright will see more targets in 2022 and could very well emerge as one of the best deep threats in CFB.