Commentary

Justin Blackmon is Big 12's top WR

Comparing the top three wide receivers in the conference across six categories

Originally Published: July 18, 2011

By KC Joyner | ESPN Insider

Last week featured the first of a specialized "best of college football" series by taking a look at the metrics to help determine which of the SEC's "bell cow" running backs was best.

This week will continue that trend with a review that shows which of the 2010 All-Big 12 wide receivers (Oklahoma's Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon or Texas A&M's Jeff Fuller) was truly the leader of that group.

That title will be determined by a set of metrics drawn from multiple game-tape reviews from each player's 2010 campaign. These reviews included breakdowns from a minimum of seven Big 12 matchups along with every contest against opponents from BCS automatic-qualifier conferences.

These numbers were then broken down into six categories that measure production in a variety of ways. Each wideout was given points for his ranking in a given category, with some categories offering more points than others.

Category No. 1: Short pass yards per attempt (YPA) (defined as passes thrown 1-10 yards downfield)

The point totals for this category were three for first, two for second and one for third.

The rankings are:
1st -- Blackmon (8.3 YPA)
2nd -- Broyles (6.3 YPA)
3rd -- Fuller (6.1 YPA)

To see the rest of the rankings and read about why Justin Blackmon is the top WR in the Big 12, you must be an ESPN Insider.