3 Red Raiders who could be trouble for Texas football
By Shane Black
Jerand Bradley, WR
Out of DeSoto (TX) High School, Jerand Bradley was ranked as the composite No. 60 receiver and No. 379 prospect nationally in the class of 2021.
In just his second season in Lubbock, the redshirt freshman has turned into the number one receiving threat for this Red Raider offense. Although he may not be the most polished receiver on the Tech roster, his potential and talent are through the roof.
Through three games, Bradley has been targeted a team-high 27 times. He has racked up 14 receptions for 172 yards and two touchdowns.
The first thing that you notice about Bradley is his size. Standing at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, Bradley is a possession receiver that more often than not comes down with contested catches over undersized defensive backs. He is not overly quick and is not someone the Texas defense will have to worry about after the catch.
Bradley lines up out wide nearly 97 percent of snaps and runs a fairly simple route tree. Where he becomes very effective is in bail-out situations and in the red zone. If quarterback Donovan Smith is under pressure, more often than not he looks to give Bradley a chance to go high-point the football. This is also true inside the red zone where Bradley can muscle his way up the ladder against a smaller defensive back.
Ryan Watts should see a lot of snaps matched up with the Texas Tech top target. Standing at nearly 6-foot-3, Watts has the size needed to affect Bradley when he looks to high point the football. Watts struggled against the dynamic Roadrunner receivers last weekend, but I certainly expect him to welcome this challenge against the young and talented Jerand Bradley.