DEPTH CHART

• WR Tim Hawthorne, Jr., 6-3, 214
• WR Terrell Zachery, Jr., 6-1, 209
• WR Darvin Adams, So., 6-3, 184
• WR Montez Billings, Sr., 6-2, 184
• WR Harry Adams, So., 6-0, 185
• WR Philip Pierre-Louis, rFr., 5-8, 157
• WR Quindarius Carr, So., 6-1, 181
• WR Derek Winter, So., 6-0, 200
• TE Tommy Trott, Sr., 6-5, 237
• TE Bailey Woods, 6-5, 230

Walk-ons

• WR Trevor Barden, rFr., 6-4, 172
• WR Woody Parramore, Sr., 5-8, 167
• WR Patrick Collier, rFr., 5-11, 188
• WR Nathan Taylor, So., 5-10, 173
• WR Gabe Barrett, Jr., 5-10, 170
• WR John Cubelic, Jr., 6-0, 207
• WR Nick Padgett, Jr., 5-8, 173

Transfer (can't play this year)

• WR Ralph Spry, Jr., 5-10, 161

Status in the air

• TE Gabe McKenzie, Sr., 6-5, 252

OVERVIEW

Auburn's passing game was nothing short of a disaster last season. There's no other way to put it. And while the quarterback mess and Tony Franklin's inability to truly install his offense were main causes for the Tigers' passing problems, the lack of talent at wide receiver is just as responsible. Things didn't get better in the offseason either. Rod Smith, the team's most consistent receiving threat, graduated. Chris Slaughter, who had a huge game at Ole Miss, left the program. Robert Dunn, an erratic home run threat, exhausted his eligibility and is now pursuing a rap career (Google DunnCity and "Goose & Patron" if you're interested). Auburn's leading returning receiver (Billings) had only 24 catches last year, so yes, there are some big questions around the receiving corps. But there is a ray of light, and it comes in the form of receivers coach Trooper Taylor. The coach has instilled new life in the group, trying to get the receivers to forget about their lack of past production and look forward. It will certainly be a process to get things going in the right direction, but it seems Auburn has at least taken a good first step.

GOOD THINGS

Taylor consistently praised Hawthorne throughout the spring for his maturation as a receiver and ability to go over the top of the defense, a positive sign for a player who caught only eight passes last year. He could emerge as the team's top receiving threat. Harry Adams, one of the fastest players on the team, moved over from cornerback to give the receiving corps a burner who can stretch the secondary. Although he only played there briefly, early returns were positive. And Zachery appeared to take a step forward, as evidenced by his 70-yard run in the spring game.

BAD THINGS

Oh, where to start. How about the lack of a No. 1 wideout? Or maybe the academic situation that kept Billings a spectator all spring? Or how about the fact that Taylor never seemed to have anything good to say about last year's two-a-days darling Pierre-Louis? Or just that Pierre-Louis, seven months removed from knee surgery, still wasn't participating in many contact drills? Or that Carr, despite having all the physical tools, hasn't been able to translate that to the field? Or that Harry Adams has been playing receiver now for (what time is it?) ... about 15 minutes? Or that Darvin Adams' name rarely comes up in conversations? Or that it's unclear if McKenzie will return to the team after dealing with an undisclosed medical issue? Yes, there are some questions about this receiving corps.

ARRIVING SOON

Here's where it could get interesting. Receiver is a position where freshmen typically can step in and play right away at the college level, simply because there isn't the same physical barrier there is on the line or the same mental challenge of a position like quarterback. And Auburn has a solid receiving class coming in, headed by DeAngelo Benton, a former five-star player who has spent the last two years trying to qualify academically, and Emory Blake, a signing day addition from Texas. It seems like both have the physical attributes to contribute immediately at a position that is one of the weakest on the Auburn roster. Travante Stallworth and Anthony Gulley are two more incoming freshmen with 4.4 speed. LaVoyd James is the other receiver in the class. At tight end, Philip Lutzenkirchen seems like he should be able to play immediately. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end, considered one of the jewels of the class, fits the mold of what Gus Malzahn wants in a tight end, big enough to stay on the line and versatile enough to work at many different spots in the receiving game.

POTENTIAL BREAKOUT

Hawthorne has the makings of being the No. 1 guy Auburn so sorely lacks. He's big (6-3, 214), fast, not lacking in confidence and clearly in the good graces of his position coach, which always helps. That's a good recipe for a breakout.

BATTLE TO WATCH

The entire group is engaged in an ongoing position battle. Malzahn will use all sorts of receivers in his offense, so there will be plenty of passes to go around. Right now, though, the starting lineup isn't even set. Harry Adams has been backing Hawthorne up at one of the outside spots. Zachery has a pretty good chance to start, but where does Billings fit in if and when he comes back? A number of guys have rotated in the slot position, including Trott. Playing time seems legitimately up for grabs right now across the board.

THEY SAID IT

"To be real honest, the talk that's happened before we came around, that's all B.T.T. I say that's before Troop time. I don't care anything about any of that. It's what we have now." — Taylor, using one of his many Trooperisms to forget about his receivers' past struggles

NUMBERS GAME

2 — number of returning receivers or tight ends who caught more than 10 passes last year (Billings and Trott)

THE END OF THE DAY

This might be Auburn's weakest unit overall in terms of talent and production, and while Malzahn has stressed Auburn is going to be a run-first team, he still needs play-makers to step up in the passing game to provide any kind of threat and take defenders out of the box, something last year's team could not do. There are some positive things going on, though, and with the addition of a recruiting class that was receiver heavy, the Tigers appear to be on their way to remedying what has been a problem position for a couple of years. But it won't happen overnight, which means there probably will be some growing pains this season.

Tomorrow: Running backs