Don’t sleep on Janiran Bonner in Nebraska football WR competition

Janiran Bonner is one of my favorite players on the Nebraska football roster. How many dudes are willing to switch from wide receiver to fullback?

Not many. But the 6-foot-2, 220-pound redshirt sophomore did last season. He played in 12 games for Nebraska football in the backfield last season with three starts at fullback.

The former four-star wideout was even called “an NFL fullback” by Matt Rhule following the Nebraska football spring game. Yet, this fall, Bonner has been working at wide receiver and wide receivers coach Garret McGuire gushed about one of the most versatile players on the team.

“He plays football the way we like to play it,” McGuire said. “He’s super physical on the perimeter. Strikes and dominates contact at a super high level. He’s got really, really big hands so he can catch the ball over the middle.”

How Janiran Bonner can impact Nebraska football wide receiver room

I loved the part about how he “dominates” contact. I have a feeling that you’ll see Bonner on the field more than expected. The Huskers love to run those quick screens and think you’ll see more of those with Dylan Raiola and Bonner will play a key role too.

People tend to underrate wide receivers as blockers. But if you look at elite running teams, their wide receivers always block well, because that’s how you create explosive plays on the perimeter.

So I expect Bonner on the field a lot for that reason. But the dude is a solid receiver too. He was a blue-chip prospect after all and the sophomore said he felt “back in his element” playing the position he was recruited to play.

We’ll see what the production looks like, but we’ll see Bonner plenty in 2024 at wide receiver, and who knows, maybe some fullback. But in terms of a pass-catcher, he brings a different element than most of Nebraska’s wide receivers and there’s a reason he keeps getting snaps with the top group.

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