Texas Tech Football: Dylan Cantrell 2017 Projections
Texas Tech senior wide receiver Dylan Cantrell will look to finally put it all together this season and lead the Red Raider receiving corps. Here are our projections for Cantrell’s 2017 season.
From Dave Parks, to Lloyd Hill, to Michael Crabtree the Texas Tech football program has produced top-notch wide receivers for the majority of its history. Now, senior wide receiver Dylan Cantrell will look to join the list of dominant receivers to don the Double-T with a standout 2017 campaign.
The native of Whitehouse, Texas and high school teammate of former Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes arrived on campus in 2013 after a standout high school career. But while the former 3-star prospect has flashed terrific ability and athleticism on numerous occasions, he has yet to reach his full potential.
The biggest stumbling block for Dylan Cantrell has been injuries. In fact, he has played a full schedule only once in his collegiate career (2014). That includes the 2015 season in which he sat out the entire season due to a back injury.
But 2017 could be the year Cantrell finally realizes his full capability on the field. He was solid in 2016 with 58 catches for 675 yards and eight touchdowns. Those eight scores were tied for second on the team with inside receiver Cam Batson (inside receiver Jonathan Giles paced the team with 13).
In addition to the productivity on the stats sheet, there is not a more complete receiver on the roster. Cantrell has the size (6-foot-3, 220-pounds) to be a dominant blocker down field (one of the most overlooked but important aspects of playing receiver in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense). He also has the best hands on the team, frequently making eye-popping catches. What’s more, he has the speed to turn short passes into huge gains.
That is why many are expecting Dylan Cantrell to have a monster senior season. In 2016, Cantrell averaged 5.8 catches per game. But 2017 will be the first time that he is one of the unquestioned starters and focal points of the offense.
It is fair to expect him to be targeted 8-12 times per game so an output of at least 6.5 grabs per week seems reachable. Provided Cantrell plays a full 12 games, that would give him a career-high 78 receptions.
Making big plays down field, especially on jump balls, is Cantrell’s forte. As a result, he has an excellent career yards-per-catch average of 12.1.
If that number holds true in 2017, Cantrell could easily surpass 900 receiving yards and could flirt with being the first Texas Tech outside receiver to put up a 1,000-yard season since Eric Ward in 2012.
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Ultimately, a projection of 78 catches for 950 yards and 10 touchdowns looks to be reasonable for Dylan Cantrell. There is nothing he can’t do as a wide receiver and this season should be the year Texas Tech fans finally see him maximize his ability.