Nebraska Football: Trying Chris Hickman at wide receiver is intriguing

Nebraska Football is moving the freshman tight end around a bit.

As the season winds down, Nebraska Football is experimenting with their wide receiver group. It is safe to say that this group certainly has had potential, but they have struggled at certain points in the season. Whether it be not getting targeted enough, trouble holding onto the football, or just not being seen down the field, the wide receiver group has left a bit to be desired this year.

The program is looking to try out some players at the wide receiver position. One of those players includes tight end Chris Hickman. The freshman is certainly an intriguing players to put at the position. Measuring in at 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, Hickman does not exactly have the prototypical wide receiver build. However, putting him at wide receiver is certainly an interesting move.

As noted in a report from Mike Schaefer of 247Sports, the coaching staff wants to see what Hickman can do. It’s interesting that they put him at the wide receiver position in order to judge what his skill set is. To me, this means the coaching staff is maybe acknowledging the fact that the tight end is being underutilized in the passing game. That wouldn’t certainly not be a wrong assessment. For the most part, it has either been wide receivers or running backs getting the ball. The tight ends, while they have been efficient for blocking purposes, really haven’t served a purpose in the passing game for Nebraska this year.

It seems like the goal of the coaching staff is to play to Hickman’s strengths. I can certainly get behind that idea. Putting players in the best position to succeed often leads to success as a team. As tight ends coach Sean Beckton notes, that’s exactly what they plan on doing with Hickman.

"Tight ends coach Sean Beckton said the idea behind Chris Hickman at receiver right now is to see what the freshman can bring to the field. The assistant did say the big challenge for Hickman, who will ultimately be a tight end, is that he doesn’t have the necessary route running skills that Nebraska would normally want out of its receivers. However, Beckton added the tight end is plenty fast enough in the spot.“If you look at Coach Frost’s history, with us together, we use players all over the place,” Beckton said. “When we were at UCF, our tight ends there, we used those guys as big receivers in big situations. A guy like him, we’re going to use his skillset to fit the offense.”"

If he plays well, I could definitely see Hickman being used in the wide receiver spot next year. Anything that can help this team succeed moving forward is a bonus. Especially with the 2019 season being somewhat of a disappointment, making strides for next year at this stage is not a bad thing. If anything, it will help Nebraska Football be better prepared for next year.

I’ll be interested to see how Hickman does. He certainly has the measurements to be a matchup problem. I just wonder how his speed or perhaps lack thereof, will be part of the equation. If he shows that he can succeed at wide receiver, that could end up being his primary position come the 2020 season and maybe beyond. Especially as a freshman, this is a situation where he is going to need to start to prove himself at the collegiate level.