Wisconsin bye week grades: WR room has been great, but there is room for improvement

Arguably, the more persistent issue in the history of Wisconsin Badgers football — even dating back to the “glory days” — was a lack of talent at the wide receiver position. Wisconsin, of course, had its fair share of NFL guys come through, with some of the most notable being the likes of Jared Abbrederis, Quintez Cephus and Nick Toon.

That said, in recent years, there have seemingly been more Badger wideouts who have done better once they get away from the team, with guys like Will Pauling and Skyler Bell having career years after leaving the state. However, Luke Fickell retooled this offseason, grabbing himself a handful of guys who have been solid thus far.

Overall Grade: B

The beauty of Wisconsin’s receiving corps thus far has been the fact that it hasn’t been a one-man show. Although Tyrell Henry leads the team in catches and yards by a good amount, sitting at 26 grabs for 339 yards thus far, a lot of other players have been able to build off his success.

Chris Brooks Jr. — a senior captain — has had himself a career year, catching 11 balls for 194 yards and two touchdowns. That production, on top of the value he brings as a blocker, makes him one of the more valuable pieces on the entire Badger offense.

Wisconsin’s “big-play threat” has been Malachi Coleman thus far, who, despite battling injury, has put up some solid numbers. Coleman has only been fully healthy for two games, playing a limited role in others, but in those outings, he has racked up 122 yards and two touchdowns on just five catches.

Even a guy like Eugene Hilton Jr., who hasn’t quite lived up to the No. 1 option expectations bestowed upon him in camp, has eclipsed the 100-yard total already. The only real problem with the room is the fact that nobody has truly emerged.

To this point, the Badgers have gotten away with being a by-committee system, letting whoever had the favorable matchup take the reins on that day. However, great defenses can scheme around that, so not having a guy Colton Joseph can consistently rely on to win his matchup could be an issue down the line.

That said, it hasn’t been a problem to this point. Sure, the room has been a positive thus far, but there is always room to grow. Who knows, maybe Henry can be the guy we saw against Eastern Michigan night in and night out. Or Jaylon Domingeaux, a guy who made a ton of plays in spring camp but has dealt with injury thus far, could emerge as a go-to guy down the stretch.

Either way, this room has been productive, making the overall grade a resounding positive.

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