Published March 11, 2011 - 6:00am
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Saturday Down South is continually counting down the top 20 players in the SEC for 2011 – pre-season style!
Greg Childs – No. 12
Arkansas is worthy to be called wide receiver U in the SEC for 2011. They have tons of talent returning, and none of them are arguably more important or better than Greg Childs. He is a monster to deal with in one-on-one coverage because he can jump out of the gym, and he is very physical getting off the line of scrimmage.
Childs has the perfect size for a stud wide receiver at 6-3, 220lbs. He can make the big catch and the tough catch. Ryan Mallett would just throw the football in Childs’ vicinity, and he would come down with it. Even though he might not have speed to burn you, Childs definitely makes up for it with his raw athletic ability and his ability to catch the football over smaller defenders.
Even though his 2010 season was cut short due to a patella tendon injury that required him to have season-ending surgery, Childs absolutely killed teams and defensive backs in the passing game before he got hurt. Childs finished as the Razorbacks’ third leading receiver with 46 catches, 659 yards and six touchdowns – and he only played in eight games.
His most notable catch came in the second game of the season between the hedges against Georgia. Then quarterback Ryan Mallett hit Childs on a 40-yard touchdown that ripped out the hearts of the Georgia Bulldogs fans and players for the go-ahead score with 14 seconds left in the game.
Childs is a big-time NFL candidate, and if he had not gotten hurt last year, we would be projecting where he would land in the NFL Draft this year. However, if Childs can come back strong from the injury he suffered last year, he should get a strong look from the league in 2012. Everyone is eagerly awaiting Childs’ return to the gridiron – obviously not the Razorbacks’ opponents, though. He was sorely missed in the Sugar Bowl, and hopefully he can bounce back strong after a nasty injury in 2010.
I look for Childs to stand out and be a top two or three receiver in the SEC next season.
The Countdown:
