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Led by Milton Wright, the freshman receivers look primed to impact

MORE: Training camp coverage

David Bell, Milton Wright, TJ Sheffield, Mershawn Rice. Their names roll off the tongues of Purdue fans with ease. The roll call of the four freshman receivers has been repeated breathlessly by fans for months.

"I think they’ve done a good job of doing everything they’ve been asked,” said Rondale Moore, who knows a thing or two about having success as a first-year player after earning consensus All-American honors during his debut in 2018--the first true freshman to earn such accolades in Big Ten annals. “They have done that, and some more. They all came from really good high schools. They are physically ready to play. They are smart guys. I think they’ll be able to make some plays for us this year.”

The big question: How many of them will contribute significantly this season? Stay tuned. For now, two have stood out: Wright and Sheffield. Bell and Rice have missed time with injury, but each has been easing back to action.

“We are all good friends” said Wright. “We actually all live in the same apartment. We are all pretty close. We all get along together. We are all good.”

Time and again the first two weeks of training camp practices, Wright and Sheffield have stood out. Each has shown good hands. The 6-3, 195-pound Wright is a rangy target who plays with a physical edge.

“I am aggressive in my routes, with blocking,” said Wright. “That comes from my dad. He has always taught me to be physical and not let anybody rough you up. You be the hitter not the hittee, as he always says. There is some soft parts of route running, but there are other parts where you have to go strong.”

At 5-11, 180 pounds, Sheffield is cut from a smaller mold. But he is every bit as physical as Wright.

“I am a shifty guy who makes people miss and can explode up the field,” said Sheffield.

While Wright and Sheffield have turned heads and whetted appetites of fans, Bell and Rice largely have been left to watch. Bell arrived this summer with a hamstring issue that has nagged him throughout August. And Rice hurt a leg early on in camp and has been limited. But each has become more involved in recent days.

Bell arrived with the most hype of the freshman foursome. He was rated the No. 1 player in Indiana by rivals.com and had his pick of schools before tabbing Purdue in January.

"David has some swagger to him," said Jeff Brohm.

Like Bell, Rice was a four-star recruit who was pursued hotly by many schools..

“David is one of those people who will be special one day,” said Jackson Anthrop. “He is special now. But he is just tapping into what he can do. He may not look fast, but he glides by people. He can catch the ball and high point it. Young guys struggle with high-pointing the ball. That will be huge for him.”

Anthrop is doing his part to help mentor the young wideouts. The junior knows the complexities of the Purdue playbook. There is a lot to learn. Wright knows. He has even enlisted his girlfriend to help him study the Xs and Os.

“I was trying to learn some things and teach her some things at the same time,” said Wright. “She doesn’t really know that much and I was trying to have some fun with it. She is supportive of it.”

Don’t be surprised if Wright plays a big role as an outside receiver right out of the gate when Purdue opens the 2019 season at Nevada on August 30. Sheffield looks ready, but it may be difficult to find him time at a crowded slot receiver position.

"Milton is very athletic,” said Anthrop. “I like how he goes up to get the ball. He is definitely a deep-ball guy. He stretches the field, which can be huge especially when you have guys in the slot like TJ, Rondale and myself.

“TJ, once he gets the basic parts of the offense down, he’ll be fine. That’s big, being able to play without thinking.”

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Don’t discount Bell. Most pundits penciled him in to start from the day he stepped on campus. The 6-2, 210-pound Indianapolis is one of the biggest recruits Purdue has landed in the last 40 years.

“Certainly, it hurts in not seeing the defense movement, the speed of the game,” said receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard about Bell missing time early in camp. “In the first practice, we saw what Milton Wright was able to do and have a good feeling on what he may be potentially able to do. I am excited for all of them to be out there.”

But it’s Wright who has made the most waves and could be the most impactful of the four freshman wideouts.

“He is a tough kid,” said Shephard. “When he came in this summer, you couldn’t see how tough he was gonna be. It has carried over to camp. He has been with the ones and the twos and he’ll stay there. He likes to work. He is a worker.”

So, perhaps it’s fitting that Wright is wearing No. 1.

“I was No. 3 at first, (No. 1) is just a cool number,” said Wright. “I like it. I don’t see myself as the best player. I just do my job on the field.”

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