Outside wide receivers are college football's thoroughbreds - tall, rangy athletes with ability to race down the sideline, leap and change a game with a single grab.
David Douglas is, by comparison, a colt.
The Arizona Wildcats junior is listed (generously) as 6 feet 1 inch and 198 pounds. The baby-faced Douglas turned 21 in June but hardly looks it.
"He's an underestimated guy," wide receivers coach Dave Nichol said, "because he looks like he's 12 in the face."
Regardless of how he looks, Douglas can play.
And starting this fall, he'll have a new position.
Douglas has moved from slot to the "Z" receiver position - the spot vacated by Delashaun Dean when he was kicked off the team a month ago. Douglas has been playing with the first-team offense through the first two practices of training camp. Juron Criner, arguably Arizona's best offensive player, starts at the other outside receiver spot.
People are also reading…
Douglas, a native of McKinney, Texas, said the move is "a good opportunity and something I'm excited about."
"I played outside receiver in high school, but when I came here, I went right into the slot (position)," he said. "I'm working hard. I haven't played outside for the past two years, so I'm out here trying to do better."
To do that, Douglas will have to change the way he plays.
Though Arizona's slot and outside receivers line up just feet from each other, their jobs could not be more different. Slot receivers, in the spread offense, must decode opposing defenses at the line of scrimmage, then find a way to get open. Sometimes, it means "sitting down" in a zone; other times, it means finding favorable matchups.
The job on the outside is simpler: Beat the cornerback, and catch the ball.
"The outside is more of a 1-on-1 setting as opposed to the inside, where you're reading things out a little more," Douglas said. "On the inside, you're finding holes. On the outside, it's more of a 'You throw it up, you get it' type of deal."
Douglas, to his credit, gets it. He caught 31 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore a year ago. Douglas' 10.3 yards per catch was second among Arizona's regular receivers, behind Criner.
Physically, Douglas can hold his own - "You should see him play basketball," Nichol said - thanks to a good burst and newly defined upper body.
It won't be long, Nichol said, before Douglas is running with the thoroughbreds.
"He needs to be tougher, but that's a mental deal," Nichol said. "There's no doubt he has the physical ability to do it."
Extra points
• The Wildcats were picked to finish 29th in the USA Today preseason coaches' poll, released Friday. UA coach Mike Stoops has a vote.
On StarNet: Follow the Cats on Ryan Finley's blog: go.azstarnet.com/finley
TRAINING CAMP INSIDER
Day 2 at Rincon Vista Practice Complex
• Highlights: Arizona's offense stepped up in its second practice of the season, making the revamped defense work hard for stops and turnovers. Quarterback Nick Foles connected with receiver Travis Cobb - arguably the team's fastest player - for two deep touchdown passes. Dave Roberts, a possession receiver, had a great snag along the sideline. Defensively, the Wildcats continue to cycle in different players in search of a good fit. Backup safety Adam Hall had a "pick-six" and recovered a fumble, while reserve cornerback Mike Turner took a Foles pass the other way for a touchdown. Arizona is still waiting to hear whether JC transfer Dexter Ransom has been cleared academically. The 6-foot-4-inch wide receiver is awaiting a summer school grade. The Cats' quarterback of the future, Southlake (Texas) Carroll High School's Daxx Garman, watched practice.
• Weather: 80 degrees and hot.
• Injury report: The Wildcats will be without their two starting guards for the next week, if not longer. Conan Amituanai sprained his right knee in Thursday's practice, while Vaughn Dotsy has yet to be cleared for contact following back surgery. Chris Putton and Jovon Hayes played with the first-team offense on Friday morning. Nicolas Grigsby was full strength, a day after tweaking his toe.
• The big number: $5,000. For the second straight day, coach Mike Stoops spent most of practice evaluating the Wildcats' newcomers. He joked that the freshmen are "getting some expensive coaching these days." "I'm the scout team coach," Stoops said with a laugh. "I told them, they're getting $5,000-an-hour worth of coaching."
Ryan Finley
COMING UP
All practices at Rincon Vista practice complex and Fort Huachuca are open to the public.
• Today: 8-10 a.m. at Rincon Vista
• Sunday: 8-10 a.m. at Rincon Vista
• Monday: 6:15-8:30 a.m. at Rincon Vista
• Tuesday: 6:15-8:30 a.m, at Rincon Vista
• Wednesday: Team leaves for Fort Huachuca