Below we will be discussing 10 things that ALL D1 WRs do & have in common. I hope this can help! 

1)- Speed. To play at the division 1 level you will be matched up against some of the fastest DBs in the country. It is a tough sell to a college coach if you are slow and want to play at the next level. Speed training is something you should never neglect. Run with sleds, work on your running form, do explosive movements in the gym etc. 

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2)- Hands. If you cannot catch, it is a tough sell to a college coach. You may not have all of the physical attributes as some other players, but if you catch every pass that is thrown your way… that can keep you on the field. Catching is something that should be worked on everyday. 

3)- Route Running. A few years ago I don’t think this would be on my list. Almost every single offense in college is switching to the Air Raid/Spread offense. This means WRs get a lot more 1on1 opportunities. And the guys who create separation are the guys who get the ball. So Route running is more important than ever for a D1 WR. 

4)- Run Realistic Routes. At the D1 level, all of that fancy crap is never going to be used. Don’t let the Overtime & YouTube 1on1 videos fool you. 90% of the time those routes aren’t going to work in a real college setting. And all the top guys, don’t do that crap. They run realistic routes with realistic timing that stays in tune with a QB. That’s what you need to rep and what you need to train. 

5)- Blocking. If you can’t block, you won’t play college ball. College coaches don’t want to see a guy who can just run but when it’s time to help out the team in the run game- they give a poor effort. This will limit the amount of schools willing to take a chance on you. Some of you might think this doesn’t matter, but a lot of schools want to build a culture. And if you don’t fit that culture with your effort (blocking is all about effort) you will not play. 

6)- Can Read Defenses. I’m not saying you have to be as smart as QBs but you need to know how to attack a DBs leverage, what his leverage is, how you can run a route vs. a certain press look etc. That’s how all of those D1 guys play so fast. They know what to do pre snap and they have repped it out.  

7)- Not afraid of contact. A lot of the younger WRs out there are so terrified of getting jammed or embarrassed they never step up. The D1 guys are trying to embarrass the DB. They take every single rep possible at a camp, showcase etc. If you get embarrassed, who cares. It’s going to get you better if you lose a rep. If everything is easy you don’t get any better. 

8)- Want the best competition. The best guys want to go against the best. We do 15 training camps every year in different states & for the last hour we do 1on1s vs. DBs. And some WRs are only happy if the DBs are bad. If we have some good & talented DBs the WRs start to tense up, move to the back of the line and you can see the worry on their face. That’s not what the D1 guys do. The top guys want the hardest competition because that is what gets you better. 

9)- Not afraid to work hard. The highest level WRs have a crazy work ethic. I have seen it. I’ve worked with high school, college and NFL WRs. And the best ones are doing multiple workouts per day. They are hitting the field, working skills, working with weights, recovering etc. It’s a full time job to them. 

10)- Work with their QB regularly. You have to understand as WRs, we are only as good as our QB. So if you don’t build chemistry with him- he won’t get you the ball. I remember when I played QB in High School- 90% of the TDs I threw were to one WR. And he was the guy who would stay after practice and run routes with me, go to training workouts with my QB coach etc. He did whatever it took & he ended up getting a D1 scholarship because he had so many targets and TDs. He earned it, but he earned it also by putting in the time with me so I trusted him. I highly recommend this for any WR at any level.