Two Michigan football pass catchers ranked in top 25
After PFF ranked Blake Corum third overall — the best in the Big Ten — now Pro Football Focus has moved on to ranking the top 25 wide receivers and tight ends.
The Wolverines have a plethora of weapons for whoever takes the reign at quarterback, whether it’s Cade McNamara or JJ McCarthy, the maize and blue have the capabilities of having an elite offense for the 2022 season.
On the wide receiver end of things, Anthony Treash has Ronnie Bell ranked 19th in his top 25 rankings.
Like Demus (Maryland), Bell is also coming off a major knee injury. He missed nearly the entire 2021 season after going down in Week 1. When healthy in his four years at Michigan, the 6-foot, 192-pound receiver has been a productive after-the-catch threat, breaking 22 tackles and averaging 9.7 yards after the catch from 81 receptions.
The former three-star product out of Kansas City, and former high school basketball star, only played in the first game of the season last year after suffering a terrible knee injury, but Bell has shown that he has the ability to be a No. 1 wideout when healthy.
During the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Bell caught 74 passes for 1,159 yards (15.6 yards-per-catch). The only thing Bell hasn’t been is a touchdown threat, he has only had five touchdowns in his four seasons in Ann Arbor. That should change this season when Bell suits back up for the maize and blue when he gains control of being a top receiver for Michigan.
When it comes to the tight end position, it has been a staple in the Michigan offense since Jim Harbaugh became head coach back in 2015. The Wolverines have had some really good playmakers at that position that can catch and block, and this upcoming season shouldn’t be any different. The maize and blue have two top tight ends at the position that will see valuable playing time: Erick All and Luke Schoonmaker.
Anthony Treash lists All as the No. 6 tight end in the country. He categorizes him as one of the biggest sleepers.
After an underwhelming first two years on campus, All is starting to finally develop into the player Michigan was expecting. The 2019 four-star recruit earned a 75.4 receiving grade last year, more than 30 grading points higher than his 2020 mark.
The 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end looks to impose his will in the running game, recording five big-time run-blocks en route to a 76.4 run-block grade this past season. The latter ranked eighth among Power Five tight ends with at least 200 such snaps.
The former four-star Ohio product had a ton of preseason hype back in 2020, and was projected as being a top pass catcher going into the Fall, but drops really haunted the tight end who could only haul in 12 total catches.
But things turned around for the physical specimen in 2021 when All reeled in 38 catches for 437 yards and two touchdowns. He is expected to become an even bigger focal point in the offense in 2022 and if everything comes together, All could be looking at a career season.
List
Post spring edition: Ranking the Big Ten's pass catchers
