Nebraska position review: Wide receiver

While the new year has begun, HuskerOnline is looking back at the previous season and taking a deep dive into each of Nebraska's positions, how they graded, their trends and other observations.

Next, the wide receivers a group with a big-time player to replace, an up-and-coming guy and a few concerning stats.

Series: QB | RB

Big shoes to fill:

Samori Toure transferred to Nebraska from Montana for his last season of eligibility and made it count. Toure had 46 receptions on 75 targets and racked up 896 yards and five touchdowns.

Toure had the highest pass routes (reception) grade of a wide receiver since JD Spielman had an 86.2 in 2018. Wan'Dale Robinson, a current Kentucky stand-out, received an 85.9 grade in 2019 but he was listed as a running back.

In the 2021 season, Toure ranks No. 37 in the FBS on his reception grade and No. 47 in total offense grade.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound receiver was Nebraska's most dangerous deep threat. He was targeted on an average of 14.7 yards down the field with two drops on his 75 total targets.

The Huskers have their most reliable deep threat and their No. 1 slot receiver to replace in 2022.

Turnovers:

Nebraska's wide receivers had eight receiving interceptions and one fumble.

Interceptions aren't typically only the quarterback's fault. Miscommunications with the receiver and the route he's running and not playing the ball smart can also result in interceptions.

For example, in the Wisconsin game, quarterback Adrian Martinez threw a pass to Oliver Martin who got drilled by Collin Wilder and the ball popped into Wilder's arms for an interception. Martin had to come back for the ball due to a poor pass by Martinez but he could have played the ball better.

Up and coming:

Omar Manning had 17 targets on passes over 10 yards in 2021 and caught 11 of them. Manning scored around the 90s and higher on short passes (90.1), medium (89.3) and deep (94.3).

However, his 62.8 reception grade for passes behind the line of scrimmage (LOS) tanked his overall score. Manning caught all three passes from behind the LOS but only earned one yard.

Manning had eight contested targets, which means a defensive back or defensive player was close in coverage. He caught six of those passes, earning the highest contested catch percentage of the wide receivers. Toure caught 37.5 percent of his contested targets.

After a solid first year of experience in Division I, look out for Manning in 2022.

Tough catches:

The wide receivers caught 45 percent of contented targets in the 2021 season. However, if Manning's 75 percent is removed, the receivers averaged 37 percent when they are under pressure by a defender.

Again, it's hard to know the quality of the pass, but Nebraska needs to be better at catching tough balls. If these passes are 50/50, the Huskers are catching these passes below the statistical average.

Ohio State, which has the No. 1 reception grade in FBS, averages 64 percent on contested passes. Iowa, whose reception grade (65.3) is No. 103 in FBS, caught 36 percent of its contested passes.

NU receiving core vs. notable FBS teams:

Nebraska's reception grade is the 17th highest in the FBS with an 81.1 as a group. This number is not just wide receivers but tight ends and running backs with targets. The receivers averaged a 63.9 grade.

Based on the team's receiving grade, the Huskers had higher numbers than Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, Cincinnati, Notre Dame and much more. Pitt's receiving core is led by Jordan Addison, who won the 2021 Biletnikoff award given to the best wide receiver in the country.

The Huskers had the fourth-best receiving core in the Big Ten based on PFF's reception grade.