Today the countdown of Stanford's Top 5 position groups with room to improve begins.
One position group will be highlighted each day this week.
No. 5: Wide receiver
Must replace: None.
Returning starters: Ty Montgomery, Devon Cajuste
Players to watch: Michael Rector, Kodi Whitfield, Jordan Pratt, Francis Owusu, TE Dalton Schultz
Outlook: If Stanford is going to remain atop the Pac-12, its group of receivers will likely need to play a bigger role next season. Outside of Montgomery (61 catches), only Cajuste (28) had more than 16 catches for the Cardinal a year ago. That number figures to rise as the group of pass catchers becomes the most experienced position group on the team. Montgomery has a chance to become of the nation's best receivers and Cajuste, when healthy, proved to be a reliable option in the intermediate passing game. Aside from those two, the Cardinal have several intriguing prospects. Rector proved to be the team's most dangerous deep threat as a redshirt freshman in 2013, catching 14 passes for 431 yards -- an average of 30.8 yards per reception. The offseason will be important for his development as the staff tries to mold him into a more balanced player -- when he was on the field last year, it was pretty much just to run deep routes. Whitfield was used more on underneath routes, but this touchdown catch was easily Stanford's play of the year. Freshman Schultz has a chance to fill the void left by the departure of tight ends Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo following the 2012 season. He was the No. 1-ranked tight end in the country this year.
