Kirby Lee – USA TODAY Sports
Steve Sarkisian identified wide receiver as a position of need for the Washington Huskies and went out and aggressively tried to address it with his 2013 recruiting class, adding three wide receivers to the roster. The head coach doesn’t look like he’s done adding talent to the passing game, however, as he added Erik Brown to the 2014 recruiting class, giving Washington another dynamic playmaker at receiver.
Brown, out of Fontana, California, is a four-star receiver and ranks as the No. 24 pass catcher in the country for the 2014 class. He has the speed to stretch the field vertically and give the Dawgs an excellent deep threat on the outside. At 6-foot-1, 172-pounds, Brown uses his athleticism, quick burst, and smooth acceleration to set up defenders before blowing past them for a big play down the field. His ability to smoothly change directions, get onto defenders in a hurry and break into his route seamlessly makes him a handful to cover in man-to-man schemes.
He will join a talented group from the 2013 class that included Damore’ea Stringfellow, the No. 6 wide receiver in the country, and Darrell Daniels (No. 17). That should give Washington a talented core of receivers who will be able to carry the passing game for years to come, even after the graduation of Keith Price following the 2013 season. Having dynamic pass catches on the outside and in the slot is so important to Sarkisian’s offensive attack, and he may have just about enough talent stockpiled to really get things going in the coming years.
Brown continues a trend of Washington trying to lock up their receiver needs early in the recruiting process. For now, he appears to be another versatile and dynamic pass catcher that bolster the Dawgs’ receiving corps and give them the weapons they need to take a run at breaking through as a Pac 12 power down the line.
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