Amara Darboh
Name: Amara Darboh
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 215 lbs.
High school: West Des Moines (IA) Dowling Catholic
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #82
Last year: I ranked Darboh #6 and said he would have 50 catches for 650 yards and 4 touchdowns (LINK). He made 58 catches for 727 yards and 5 touchdowns.
I was impressed with the strides Darboh made from 2014 to 2015, and I mean that in a literal sense. Maybe being a full year recovered from his foot injury made the difference, or maybe it was the new strength and conditioning staff. But either way, he had a little extra juice, and Michigan took advantage of that at times by running some quick screens. The younger version of Darboh would have been chopped down quickly, but redshirt junior Darboh blew past some corners and stiff-armed others. As always, he was a reliable possession target, and he had one of the highlights of the year for the Wolverines when he made a leaping, twisting, one-handed catch against BYU. Darboh led the team in receptions and finished second to Jehu Chesson in both receptions and receiving yardage.
I’m dropping Darboh in this year’s countdown for a couple reasons. First of all, Chesson developed into the bigger receiving threat as the season went on. Second, I think the pack has caught up to Darboh a little bit, with Maurice Ways, Drake Harris, Grant Perry, and a couple freshmen being able to contribute. And third, with more receiving options at tight end, the wideouts could become less emphasized if the game plan, opponent, and personnel packages deem them so. Darboh will start and should remain a frequent target on the outside, but I don’t think he’s quite as valuable as last year, when he and Butt were the only proven targets.
Prediction: Starting wide receiver; 45 catches, 600 yards, 4 touchdowns
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It’s pretty impressive where this offense is compared to a year ago. When is the last time you can remember the #1 receiver outperformed your expectations across the board and still drops in your rankings because of how well the offense performed. It’ll be interesting to see who becomes the go to receiver with a new QB this year.
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I like the rationale for dropping Darboh. With the raves the freshman WRs are getting I think he may be even less critical than this, but I certainly want his sure hands and physicality on the field in a close game.
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I agree with the rationale as well. My comment was more about how the offense has developed since last year. The #1 receiver exceeded expectation and still dropped because of the development of the others around him and overall depth at the position now. It’s going to be hard next year after the loss of Darboh and Chesson, but maybe not as bad as what I originally though.
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