Although Notre Dame lost its two leading receivers from 2017, one to the NFL draft and one to repeated off-field mistakes, the need to find replacements is less urgent than it is at running back. That is not an inherent good thing. Rather, it is a reflection of the lack of production from last year’s receivers.
As a group, they totaled 12 catches of 30 or more yards last season, led by four from NFL-bound Equanimeous St. Brown. The returnees accounted for only six of those, with three of them coming from Chase Claypool in just one weekend, against Wake Forest in early November.