With Auburn's season in the rearview mirror, AL.com is taking a look at how the Tigers performed at each position during the 2017-18 season. The second part of this 10-part series takes a look at Auburn's receivers.

Wide receivers

Grade: B

Overview: Auburn's addition of Jarrett Stidham at quarterback did wonders for the Tigers' receiving corps in 2017. Although Auburn did not produce a 1,000-yard receiver -- something it hasn't done since 1999 - the group collectively saw an uptick in production as Stidham passed for more than 3,000 yards and 18 touchdowns. The Tigers had three players with more than 500 receiving yards for the first time since the 2010 national championship season, as Ryan Davis had 815 yards, Darius Slayton had 643 yards and Will Hastings finished with 525 yards.

Nate Craig-Myers had 285 yards and three touchdowns on 16 receptions despite being targeted just 24 times, by far the fewest among the Tigers' top receivers. Eli Stove added 265 receiving yards on 29 catches. The unit also overcame the midseason dismissal of sophomore Kyle Davis and typically performed well blocking downfield.

Top performer: Ryan Davis. The fleet-footed junior emerged as Auburn's go-to target in the passing game, setting a program single-season reception record with 84 on the year. He finished with 815 yards and five touchdowns, and he led the team with an 84.2 percent catch rate when targeted.

Biggest surprise: Hastings' emergence as a deep threat. After making noise early in 2016, Hastings faded into obscurity once SEC play got underway. That wasn't the case this season, as the former walk-on kicker finished the season as Auburn's third-leading receiver, hauling in 26 receptions for 525 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 20.19 yards per reception.

High point: Darius Slayton's performance against Arkansas. This honor was a close call between Slayton's effort against Arkansas and Ryan Davis' Iron Bowl-record 11 receptions for 139 yards, but Slayton got the nod. Against the Razorbacks, Slayton hauled in four passes for 146 yards and a touchdown, with two of them going for at least 50 yards.

Slayton's performance was a career-high and the first 100-yard effort by an Auburn receiver since Tony Stevens against ULM in 2016. Along with 26- and 50-yard receptions on passes from Jarrett Stidham, Slayton added a 62-yard touchdown catch on a trick-play pass from Davis that gave Auburn a 38-6 lead in the third quarter.

Low point: Kyle Davis' dismissal on Oct. 17, four days after not making the trip to LSU.

Who's returning: Auburn is set to return every scholarship receiver next season -- Davis, Slayton, Hastings, Craig-Myers, Stove, Noah Igbinoghene and Marquis McClain.

Who Auburn adds in 2018: Auburn signed two receivers during the early signing period last month: four-star receiver Seth Williams and three-star wideout Shedrick Jackson. The Tigers also hold commitments from four-star receivers Matthew Hill and Anthony Schwartz.

Up next: running backs.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.