Is Tyler Lockett Primed For An All-American Season?

Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Coming into the 2013 season, K-State landed two players on Phil Steele’s Preseason All-American team: Tyler Lockett and Tramaine Thompson. Lockett was listed as the nation’s top kick returner, and Thompson at punt returner. And while this tandem still looks like the best in the nation (particularly after Thompson’s monster game against Louisiana Lafayette), there’s a chance Lockett has his sights set even higher: as an All-American wide receiver.

I don’t say this flippantly or as a pie-in-the-sky hypothetical. Tyler Lockett may not be a first teamer, but the way he’s started his season, he’s got a serious shot at finishing the year as an AP All-American. K-State had three last year – Collin Klein and Arthur Brown were second team honorees, while Ty Zimmerman was a third team All-American. That’s rarified air. But Lockett has started the season with back-to-back 100-yard receiving games. As Jake Waters continues picking defenses apart, there’s no reason Lockett should slow down. If teams remain determined to focus on shutting down the run, Lockett will run wild. And there’s just enough talent on the field in wide receivers Thompson and Curry Sexton, along with tight ends Zach Trujillo and Andre McDonald, to draw attention away from Lockett while he remains the overwhelming deep threat.

Lockett was primed to beast regardless this year – primary 2012 receiver Chris Harper was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks and the team was likely to pass more and run a faster tempo with Collin Klein no longer under center. And he’s certainly on pace to exceed last year’s production by a wide margin – with 15 catches for 224 yards and ten games to go, Lockett is on pace for 1,344 yards receiving on the year (1,452 if you include a bowl game). For comparison, these were are the top six wide receivers in 2012:

Last year Stedman Bailey averaged 124 yards, while Lockett is at 114, and had the #3 average in the nation. Bailey was a second team All-American (and third round draft pick). Terrance Williams (who averaged four yards less than Lockett currently does) and Marqise Lee were the first teamers, and Williams has graduated while USC looks like an underachieving joke again this year which could hurt Lee in the balloting. Quinton Patton was second team along with Bailey (early draft entry), and they’re both gone as well. Third team was DeAndre Hopkins (another early draft entrant) and Cobi Hamilton of Arkansas (a senior who finished seventh in total yardage). So of the six All-Americans last year, the only returning player is Lee on a team that has seesawed worse than actual playground equipment the last couple years.

It’s impossible to know what sort of season Lockett will have, but safe money is on a good one. He’s too fast and dangerous in the open field to not break at least one big play every game. Additionally, expect at least one or two touchdown returns from him this year. Granted, special teams play is not supposed to factor in to voting on wide receivers, but a stellar performance on kick offs will keep him relevant in voters’ eyes and reinforce how electric of a player he is. I believe he will finish as a second team All-American when all is said and done. Because given what he’s done so far, how many receivers ahead of him last year have moved on, and the team’s greater emphasis on passing this year, Lockett looks ready to punch his ticket to the NFL draft in a big way.