North Texas Wide Receivers Will be a 2015 Strength

Two week ago, I did a breakdown of the bleak quarterback situation for the Mean Green football team. Thankfully, there were a few things about this team in 2014 that made North Texas not completely unwatchable, and one was the wide receiver position.

You could make the case that wide receiver was a top three position for the Mean Green in 2014, and it will be a strength for this team in 2015, no matter who is behind center.

The potential and raw talent of this unit was shown after the first three games of the season, when someone other than Josh Greer was throwing to them.

The unit is led by Carlos Harris and Darvin Kidsy, both of whom will be returning next season. Receivers like Carl Caldwell, John Chelf and Darius Terrell each had some nice moments, but those three were senior and will not be coming back. Instead, the Mean Green will have a couple of younger wide receivers that will those voids.

But it all starts with Harris and Kidsy.

Kidsy's numbers aren't very impressive on paper, just 15 catches for 148 yards, but his impact on North Texas is immense. One would figure that those numbers would be higher with consistency at quarterback, but Kidsy found other ways to make up for it, like his work on special teams.

He's a dynamic playmaker, and I hope offensive coordinator Mike Canales finds a way to get the ball in his hands in the passing game more. He's got a ton of talent that has yet to be harnessed.

But Harris is arguably the best player on the entire offensive side of the ball.

Last season, Harris caught 70 catches for 863 yards and three touchdowns. Oh, and he also ran the ball nine times for 98 yards and a touchdown. There were times where he likely made the likes of Dajon Williams and Andrew McNulty look a lot better than they actually were. The trouble with Harris is that he is small, only listed at 5-foot-8.

But he's an explosive wide receiver that can make something out of nothing when he realizes a play has broken down. That happened plenty of times this season, and I don't doubt it will happen again next season. Imagine what Harris' numbers would be if he had a competent and consistent quarterback behind center.

The wide receivers are so important because of the way the offense is structured. It will always be a run-first offense. But because of the lack of passing game, teams would basically force North Texas to pass by clogging up the middle. Harris and the other receivers sometimes helped bail them out of that situation. The Mean Green won just four games in 2014, and it might have been less without that group.