Fifty-five days and counting until Idaho State’s home opener against Black Hills State at Holt Arena. In a continuing series, we’ll sift through each of ISU’s position groups and take a look at how they stand coming out of spring practice and heading into fall camp. Friday it was the running backs, Saturday the tight ends and coming up now: the wide receivers.

OUTLOOK

The Bengals might not have a more talented position group than at wide receiver. It was one of the team’s biggest question marks heading into last season with so little experience returning. Those fears were quickly obliterated after first-year starters Madison Mangum and KW Williams materialized as bona-fide stars.

ISU returns a group this season that accounted for 214 receptions, 3,060 yards and 34 touchdowns.

Mangum, barring injury, is primed for an All-American season, Williams is as tough as they come in the slot and Broc Malcom has speed to burn. And let’s not forget about sophomore Hagen Graves, who can build off a 21-catch, 360-yard freshman season.

CONCERNS

Depth. The Bengals averaged 83 plays a game last season and they only want to go faster in the future. That means they need at least one quality backup for every wide receiver position.

Malcom has Graves. During the spring, sophomore Trae Pilster moved from quarterback to wideout to sub in for Williams and senior CJ Hatchett was Mangum’s backup. But are guys like Hatchett and Pilster prepared for big-time roles if a starter goes down?

Idaho State signed San Jose State transfer Michael Tate last fall, but he missed the season with an undisclosed injury and isn’t expected to contribute this fall.

The fact is, outside of Mangum, Williams, Malcom and Graves, Idaho State’s receiving corps is unproven. And in an offense that wants to play at a lighting speed and throw 40-45 times a game, they need capable bodies ready to fill in behind the frontline guys. Those players may be on the roster. We just haven’t seen it yet.

THE STAR

Madison Mangum. This guy, at 6-foot-2, has an NFL frame and he’s getting bigger. In the spring, Mangum said he wanted to bulk up to between 220 and 225 pounds (from a listed weight of 212 as a junior). Why? Because he’s taken a look at wide receivers like him in the NFL and that’s where he feels like he’ll have the size and strength to do whatever he wants on the field.

Mangum, who had 83 catches for 1,234 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2014, has his eyes on a pro future. His final season as a Bengal is an opportunity to show what he can do.

PLAYER ON THE RISE

Broc Malcom. The junior receiver is the perfect complement to Mangum. He’s got a pair of jets and can stretch a defense because he’s always a threat to blow past a deep safety. It’s easy to forget the kinds of numbers Malcom was racking up before his injury at Eastern Washington.

Despite missing four games, Malcom finished fourth on ISU with 428 receiving yards and third in touchdown receptions with seven.

After the spring game in April, Malcom was tabbed as the team’s most improved offensive player — a sign of what the Bengals coaching staff expects to see come fall camp.

UNDERRATED PLAYER

KW Williams. A former state champion wrestler in Washington, Williams is as tough as they come. He battles linebackers and safeties in the middle of the field and takes punishing hits every time he catches a pass. But it never stops him. He had 922 yards in the air as a sophomore.

Williams is particularly adept in the red zone, tying Mangum for the most touchdown receptions on the team with 10. He’s a safety valve for the quarterback, a good blocker downfield and a consistent weapon. It doesn’t matter how many plays the Bengals run, Williams wants to stay on the field.

BOTTOM LINE

Mangum is one of the best receivers in college football, but defenses hardly ever dare roll a safety over the top to double team him. Why? Because if they do, ISU takes advantage of one-on-one coverage with Malcom, Williams or Graves (or they’ll hand the ball off to the Big Sky’s leading rusher, Xavier Finney).

The Bengals attack defenses with multiple options. Stop one and they’ll go somewhere else for a big play. If this wide receiver unit can have the same kind of success this season as they did in 2014 — and that answer almost certainly depends on who plays quarterback — then Idaho State’s offense is set for another explosive year.