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Will Devin Funchess take the next step in his development this season and blossom into a true star?

(Melanie Maxwell | MLive.com)

(This is part of a 2014 Michigan football season preview series examining each position group. Wednesday: Running backs. Thursday: Wide receivers/tight ends. Friday: Defensive line.)

ANN ARBOR -- A year ago, Michigan entered the season with as strong a wide receiver-quarterback connection as anyone around with Devin Gardner and Jeremy Gallon.

Gallon and Gardner had been best friends throughout their time on campus, and both poured hours and hours of work into the previous summer to develop timing and chemistry.

It certainly paid off.

Gallon set Michigan single-season records for receiving yards (1,373) to go along with 89 catches (No. 2 on the all-time list) and 8 touchdowns. Gallon was named the team's most valuable player, he was one of the most reliable offensive threats in the Big Ten and set a standard for everyone to follow.

That's the good part.

But now, someone has to take that torch and run with it.

Michigan certainly has a player with that capability in Devin Funchess, a 6-foot-5, 230-pounder with All-America and NFL potential. But he'll have to take the next step in his development, and he'll need some help.

And, on top of that, Funchess' move from tight end/receiver hybrid to full-time wide receiver -- and Jake Butt's ACL injury -- complicates Michigan's tight end position a bit, at least early in the season.

So let's get to it -- previewing the wide receivers and tight ends.

2013 recap

We've already discussed the impact Gallon had, and it can't really be understated. He had a terrific chemistry with Gardner. He was a tenacious blocker for a player that stood only 5-foot-8. And, once Michigan moved Funchess to the outside opposite him, he was able to run in more space.

Entering last season, Michigan had hoped Amara Darboh would be able to slide into the starting receiver spot opposite Gallon, and as a result, the Wolverines left Funchess inside at tight end. Those plans were twisted, though, when Darboh suffered a season-ending foot injury midway through fall camp.

Michigan still tried to keep Funchess inside as the season began, letting Jehu Chesson -- a first-year player at the time -- learn on the fly outside. As time went on, though, Funchess left his tight end spot and moved more to the outside. That worked on multiple levels.

One, Funchess proved to be a mismatch for most college corners, and finished the season with 49 catches for 748 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Two, his move outside opened things up for Jake Butt. Butt, who transformed his body a great deal as a freshman last season, finished the year playing his best football -- he tallied 20 grabs for 235 yards and 2 scores.

Chesson was able to get his feet wet (15 catches, 221 yards, 1 touchdown), but the Wolverines really weren't able to get much production from any other young receiver on the roster. Darboh missed the entire season, Da'Mario Jones played, but didn't record a catch, while Csont'e York and Jaron Dukes redshirted.

Michigan attempted to use Dennis Norfleet as a slot/running back hybrid -- but never really took it seriously, as virtually every time he took the field he was involved in some type of trick play or end-around.

The Wolverines lost oodles of production and consistency in Gallon, and a four-year contributor in the slot in Dileo. How does that get replaced?

Starting contenders

Wide receiver: Devin Funchess (6-foot-5, 230; junior), Freddy Canteen (6-foot-1, 170; freshman), Jehu Chesson (6-foot-3, 195; r-soph.), Amara Darboh (6-foot-2, 214; r-soph.), Da'Mario Jones (6-foot-2, 198; soph.), Dennis Norfleet (5-foot-7, 167; junior), Jaron Dukes (6-foot-4, 200; r-fresh.), Csont'e York (6-foot-3, 194; r-fresh.), Drake Harris (6-foot-4, 180; fresh.), Maurice Ways (6-foot-4, 199; fresh.)

Tight end: Jake Butt (6-foot-6, 250; soph -- injured), A.J. Williams (6-foot-6, 263; junior), Keith Heitzman (6-foot-4, 271, junior), Khalid Hill (6-foot-2, 255, r-fresh.), Michael Jocz (6-foot-4, 231; r-soph.), Ian Bunting (6-foot-7, 228; fresh.)

At this point, we know Funchess can be a star. But if he's going to be a star, it'll be up to him.

He's going to have to take the next step mentally, from a focus and preparation standpoint. And he knows this. He's talked about it at length. He's noted that he has to be able to make the easy catch along with the difficult catch. He can't drop first downs. He can't blow a pattern. He has to be able to block. If he becomes a complete player, he's one of the top wide receivers in America.

We know Funchess will start, but after him, it starts to get a little cloudy. And that's why the competition at wide receiver should be as intense as any other spot on the field. Perhaps the most intense.

Canteen blew the hats off the coaches' heads in spring practice and was able to sky-rocket up the early depth chart, all the way into the starting lineup on the outside. That means one of three things: A) he's really, really good, or B) every other veteran on the roster needs to pick up the pace, or C) it's a bit of both.

In reality, at 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, Canteen is going to need to enter camp with more weight on his frame to play on the outside opposite Funchess. Gallon was small -- but not that small, he always played in at least the mid-180s. A perfect world, for Michigan, at this point -- in my mind -- would be one where either Darboh, Chesson, Jones, etc make a big leap and take over on the outside. That way, Canteen plays in the slot.

With his foot speed, his route discipline and his general quick-twitch ability, Canteen is a slot nightmare waiting to happen. But, if no one else passes him in camp, he has to play on the outside -- because, physically, it appears he's too talented to keep on the sideline.

The wild card here, to me, is Darboh. He missed the entire 2013 season and all of spring practice. Brady Hoke has maintained all offseason that Darboh will be ready to play come fall camp. Make no mistake, when Michigan opened fall camp last season, it firmly believed Darboh was ready to be a difference-maker. Losing him to injury was a crusher, and they really didn't try to hide that.

So, if he can somehow get himself back to where he was a year ago at the start of fall camp, Michigan could be in really good shape here.

Elsewhere, the question of whether or not Norfleet will be able to make a difference in the slot is an interesting one for me. He's fast, he's exciting, he seems like he's going 300 miles per hour all the time -- and, often times, I think that might be his biggest problem. Even in the kick return game, Norfleet seems to have a tendency to not follow a block or a series of blocks, and often that gets him into trouble.

He's never really had a chance to prove what type of hands he has, but when Michigan's tried to get him in space, he's struggled to throttle himself back long enough to let a play develop. He's ripped off plenty of 9-yard runs that could have easily gone for 29 if he waited a tick to allow blockers the time to give him a crease.

And, of course, most want to know what type of impact Harris might be able to have this season. Harris, who missed his entire senior year of high school with a hamstring injury, enrolled in the spring and began to make progress -- but injured his hamstring again. He insisted it wasn't a big deal, and insisted he'd be ready to play in the fall.

He's got some catching up to do, obviously. He hasn't played in an actual game since his junior year of high school. He was 6-foot-4, 180 pounds at the end of spring. That's too light for a player with that type of frame. By all accounts, Harris is going to be a terrific talent. But if he's not making a splash this year, then it's not that big of a deal. We'll see, of course, as his presence in the spring can't do anything but help him.

Tight end-wise, Michigan is hoping Butt will be back at some point after the third week of the season. If that happens, that's a huge plus for Michigan. If not, there's an opening. A.J. Williams has been a blocking tight end for most of his career. He has one reception. There isn't another tight end on the roster with a catch.

Michigan is hoping Heitzman -- a converted defensive end -- can bring a presence of up front. And then there's Hill and Bunting. Bunting's a true freshman -- and it's not ridiculous to say a true freshman has to sit here. Funchess didn't sit. Neither did Butt. Bunting's 6-foot-7, 228 pounds. He probably can't play on every snap at that size, but he might be able to make an impact down the field in passing situations.

Projected starters on Aug. 30

Wide receiver -- 1. Devin Funchess, 2. Freddy Canteen, 3. Jehu Chesson/Amara Darboh

Slot receiver -- 1. Dennis Norfleet, 2. Freddy Canteen

Tight end -- 1. A.J. Williams, 2. Keith Hetizman, 3. Ian Bunting/Khalid Hill

Until we see someone else leap Canteen, I can't push him down the list. He was the team's most impressive receiver in the spring game -- at times even more impressive than Funchess. Someone's going to have to out-work him to beat him.

I'm also curious to see where Darboh is at. If he's back to where he was last August, he'll be on the field. And, as always, I'm interested to see if Norfleet can finally transition into something more than an exciting kick returner. He's about to get his chance.

At tight end, unless Bunting comes in 20 pounds heavier and lights everyone's hair on fire, you have to go with Williams and ask him to take the next step in his development. If Williams can be a legitimate intermediate pass-catching threat, and you can line Heitzman up opposite him as a blocker, you've got a pretty decent double-tight package until Butt returns from injury.

When will Butt return? That's anyone's guess -- and really only one his knee knows the answer to.

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