Chimere Dike Ready to Make the Jump to No. 1 WR for Badgers
Junior WR Chimere Dike is set to become the No. 1 WR for Graham Mertz and the Wisconsin Badgers in 2022:
Madison, Wisc. - Heading into fall camp, all eyes will be on Wisconsin's new-look offense under first-year offensive coordinator Bobby Engram, who comes to UW after eight seasons as an assistant coach with the Baltimore Ravens.
UW, which has never been known for its passing game, has seen a steady decline in production each of the last two seasons – forcing head coach Paul Chryst to make changes to reinvigorate a sputtering Badgers offense.
In addition to learning a new offense, Wisconsin's QB1, Graham Mertz, returns just 36.9% of his total targets from 2021, according to Pro Football Focus.
Without the trio of Jake Ferguson, Danny Davis, and Kendric Pryor, who accounted for 110 of Wisconsin's 177 total catches last season, UW will rely upon several of their young, inexperienced wide receivers to step up and become contributors in 2022.
Entering fall camp, junior WR Chimere Dike is the odds-on favorite to become the No. 1 WR for Mertz and the Wisconsin Badgers.
As a sophomore, he was targeted 32 times and had 19 catches for 272 yards and a touchdown. According to PFF, eight of Dike's 19 catches were contested, 14 of which went for first downs.
"The game is just slower for me," Dike told UW's, Mike Lucas. "I have played a lot of football at this point, and I know how to win on different routes. The speed of the game has slowed down, so I can process things easier. The game feels more in my control, and I feel like I can dictate what happens more."
As the elder statesmen in the Badgers WR room, there will be ample opportunities for the 6-foot-1, 195-pound wide-out to showcase his talent in coach Engram's new offense.
The Waukesha, Wisconsin native played just over 88% of his snaps from the slot in 2021; however, I believe we'll see Dike moved all over the field to try and create matchup problems for opposing defenses and keep them guessing.