Hoping for a Dylan Wright Surprise; Thinking Back to 1998.

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Gophergrandpa

Gophergrandpa

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I remember the 1998 Viking had a crafty, experienced no. 1 WR who caught everything he could touch (Chris Carter) and a pretty reliable, younger no. 2, in Jake Reed. Then in 1998 a rookie exploded onto the scene in the no. 3 spot; a physical marvel whose talent was astounding; he was unstoppable in man coverage against the number 3 cover guy. The new no. 3 made the other two WRs even better. I’m speaking, of course, of Randy Moss. If our current numbers 1 and 2, CAB and Jackson, remain healthy and initially draw the top cover guys, could Dylan Wright at no. 3 have a Moss like effect? Wright apparently needs to know our systems better, and probably isn’t an every down guy yet, but the more I read about Wright’s physical gifts and athleticism, the more I think he could, even in 2021, have a very salutary effect on our WR passing game… and thereby make life easier for Mo, Potts … and open things up for the TEs, etc. If the effect were to kick in early, like against tOSU, that would be OK!
 
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Nice post to start a conversation.

If wright has the physical abilities everyone says (which is why he was a highly rated recruit), I trust this coaching system to bring the best out. I have a feeling he will be #1 after week 2 or 3. Some of that is not knowing CAB's injury, but a lot is about Dylan's skills. I'm actually excited to see the new corps. I think with this coaching staff and the indivuals this will be a damn good reciever room. Not as big as the tight end room, but big.
Moss.jpg
 

BTChamp said:
Nice post to start a conversation.

If wright has the physical abilities everyone says (which is why he was a highly rated recruit), I trust this coaching system to bring the best out. I have a feeling he will be #1 after week 2 or 3. Some of that is not knowing CAB's injury, but a lot is about Dylan's skills. I'm actually excited to see the new corps. I think with this coaching staff and the indivuals this will be a damn good reciever room. Not as big as the tight end room, but big.
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I was at the “mooning” game in Lambeau …
 

I don't know that Moss was ever really considered a #3. He was a top flight talent that slipped to the Vikings due to some character concerns.

But super intrigued to see what Wright can do. The physical tools are all there, if Simon and Fleck can get him to live up to his potential he could be a special player for us.
 

MNVCGUY said:
I don't know that Moss was ever really considered a #3. He was a top flight talent that slipped to the Vikings due to some character concerns.

But super intrigued to see what Wright can do. The physical tools are all there, if Simon and Fleck can get him to live up to his potential he could be a special player for us.
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I think Moss was no. 3 at the beginning of the 1998 season. Jake Reed was no. 3 a few games later.
 


I think it might take a special talent for Fleck to take a transfer at WR. If their is one position where Fleck/Simon can bet on for talent evaluation/development it’s wr, that’s no secret. Yes the group lacks some experience outside of a few guys, but I think the staff would’ve trusted what they had unless they REALLY liked Wright. I don’t know if he’ll be more productive than CRAB (assuming he’s healthy) this year, but between him and Jackson for the following years, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a Bateman Johnson 2.0. The skill and depth is looking to be fantastic going forward, I didn’t even touch on White, Hoskins, Emilien, Brockington, Boyd, Mann, McGill.
 

Moss had significantly more targets per game than Reed did in 1998
 

Gophergrandpa said:
I think Moss was no. 3 at the beginning of the 1998 season. Jake Reed was no. 3 a few games later.
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20+ years ago so I will freely admit I have no clue how they were labeled on the depth chart or in any pre-season projections. But I honestly don't think anyone really expected Moss to be a #3 given he was a first round pick and one who would have gone super high if teams hadn't been scared away by his off-field issues in college.

I mean he was an absolute beast at Marshall the one year he played there. Nearly 2000 yards and 26 TD. He easily could have been a top 10 pick in the draft based on ability and those are guys that are expected to be top flight players right away.
 

Randy Moss was a rare gem. At 6' 4" with a 4.25 40, he was superb.

Dylan Wright is no Randy Moss. He will do great in the Gophers Offense. He is still projected as a possible 2nd or 3rd rounder in the NFL Draft when his playing days are over.

I can see him stretching the field for the Gophers. They have plenty of receiving talent after him. I am not too worried.

I don't know if his time improved from 4.58 40. Matt Simon can work with him on speed and other desirable attributes as a wide receiver. He can highpoint the ball effectively. He is a long strider who is effective on 50/50 ball. In comparison, TJ isn't exactly a barn burner speed-wise. He ended up being drafted in the 3rd round by Tampa Bay and looks to have a prosperous career.

If the Wide Receiving Corps of the Gophers are clicking on all cylinders, and if the ground game continues to purr behind a massive agile Offensive Line watch out Big Ten. Teams will have to earn a victory the hard way playing against the Gophers.

247sports.com

Dylan Wright, TCU Horned Frogs, Wide Receiver

2017: Was a first-team all-district selection as a junior
247sports.com 247sports.com
Off-topic:
The Gophers are close to getting the secret sauce right. Building a program the right way and bringing it up competitively to the next level is a monumental challenge in a place like Minnesota. It's taken the Gophers this long a time to get here. We have a good stable organization from the ground up and an excellent athletic department in Minnesota. This is a textbook example of how you build a program. What is missing is a Big Ten Title in Football. That day is coming.

Kudos to Joan Gabel, Mark Coyle, and PJ Fleck.
 
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MNVCGUY said:
I don't know that Moss was ever really considered a #3. He was a top flight talent that slipped to the Vikings due to some character concerns.

But super intrigued to see what Wright can do. The physical tools are all there, if Simon and Fleck can get him to live up to his potential he could be a special player for us.
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In the beginning of the season, I believe he was the #3. In the first few games of the year, teams would put a safety on him because you HAD to run a 4-3/3-4 base defense on first down.
 

hungan1 said:
Randy Moss was a rare gem. At 6' 4" with a 4.25 40, he was superb.

Dylan Wright is no Randy Moss. He will do great in the Gophers Offense. He is still projected as a possible 2nd or 3rd rounder in the NFL Draft when his playing days are over.

I can see him stretching the field for the Gophers. They have plenty of receiving talent after him. I am not too worried.

I don't know if his time improved from 4.58 40. Matt Simon can work with him on speed and other desirable attributes as a wide receiver. He can highpoint the ball effectively. He is a long strider who is effective on 50/50 ball. In comparison, TJ isn't exactly a barn burner speed-wise. He ended up being drafted in the 3rd round by Tampa Bay and looks to have a prosperous career.

If the Wide Receiving Corps of the Gophers are clicking on all cylinders, and if the ground game continues to purr behind a massive agile Offensive Line watch out Big Ten. Teams will have to earn a victory the hard way playing against the Gophers.

247sports.com

Dylan Wright, TCU Horned Frogs, Wide Receiver

2017: Was a first-team all-district selection as a junior
247sports.com 247sports.com
Off-topic:
The Gophers are close to getting the secret sauce right. Building a program the right way and bringing it up competitively to the next level is a monumental challenge in a place like Minnesota. It's taken the Gophers this long a time to get here. We have a good stable organization from the ground up and an excellent athletic department in Minnesota. This is a textbook example of how you build a program. What is missing is a Big Ten Title in Football. That day is coming.

Kudos to Joan Gabel, Mark Coyle, and PJ Fleck.
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Superfreak is the GOAT, so no Wright is not, but he could be the Gophs version of a Moss type receiver. Anyone know his vertical?
 

BTChamp said:
Nice post to start a conversation.

If wright has the physical abilities everyone says (which is why he was a highly rated recruit), I trust this coaching system to bring the best out. I have a feeling he will be #1 after week 2 or 3. Some of that is not knowing CAB's injury, but a lot is about Dylan's skills. I'm actually excited to see the new corps. I think with this coaching staff and the indivuals this will be a damn good reciever room. Not as big as the tight end room, but big.
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Moss' "mooning" the horde of Cheeseheads is still a classic moment in Vikings history!
 




Bob_Loblaw said:
In the beginning of the season, I believe he was the #3. In the first few games of the year, teams would put a safety on him because you HAD to run a 4-3/3-4 base defense on first down.
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In the first game of the season in 1998, against Tampa Bay, the listed “starting” wide receivers were Carter and Reed. We started a FB rather than a 3rd WR. Of course, as the game wore on, and Moss’s talent showed, he ended up with 4 receptions for 95 yards and two TDs. Reed, the starting WR, had one catch for 3 yards. Rest is history.
 


Bob_Loblaw said:
In the beginning of the season, I believe he was the #3. In the first few games of the year, teams would put a safety on him because you HAD to run a 4-3/3-4 base defense on first down.
Click to expand...
Three good, effective WRs on “non-passing” downs (w/ Mo in the backfield), poses some interesting match up possibilities. If Wright makes it three, good for us. 2019 redux.
 


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