I'm going to find myself at a scouting crossroads this football season. Yep. It's coming.

Here's the issue. In scouting, I've learned you can't form concrete philosophies for what you like or dislike about prospects' skill sets at each position and stubbornly refuse to change your thinking as time goes on. Right when you feel you've nailed the exact traits that translate to pro success and those that don't, the game of football changes and shakes the status quo.

A cluster of smart coaches keep the college and the NFL in a constant state of evolution, and (most) of their contemporaries copy them.

Back to the imminent dilemma. Early in my career, after a few seasons scouting draft prospects, I realized I preferred bigger receivers over smaller ones and valued contested-catch ability over downfield speed.

From 2011 to 2014, the top 7 wideouts in receiving touchdowns were all 6-foot-2 or taller. Dez Bryant, Jordy Nelson, Calvin Johnson, Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Brandon Marshall, and A.J. Green.

Also, 10 of the 17 receivers with at least 25 scores in that time frame were over the 6-2 threshold (add in Vincent Jackson, Julio Jones, and Marques Colston) while just two were under 6-0 (Antonio Brown and Randall Cobb).

So, there was statistical evidence to favor big wideouts. They took residence at the top of the touchdown-scoring mountain in the NFL.

As more of the league has transitioned to spread, get-it-out quickly, yards-after-the-catch predicated offenses, the small receiver has become trendier than ever.

Three of the top five receiving touchdown leaders since 2015 are under 6-0 (Brown, Doug Baldwin, and Odell Beckham), and the entire top 7 is shorter than 6-2 (add in DeAndre Hopkins, Michael Crabtree, Brandin Cooks, and Davante Adams).

If you're looking solely for yardage efficiency, 17 of the 28 wideouts who've seen at least 200 targets over the past three seasons and averaged at least 8.00 yards per target are under 6-2.

As a former proponent of big receivers > small receivers, I've scaled back on that notion. Not fully. Not all the way. But I do hold the diminutive, speed/YAC wideout in higher regard than I did about five or six years ago.

However, the 2019 receiver draft class has a chance to [Lloyd Christmas voice] TOTALLY REDEEM ITSELF for #TeamBigWR with a superb, deep group of large rebounders who're always open two feet above their heads and know how to utilize their sizable frames to shield smaller corners at the catch point.

And many of the top big receivers, plus some sleepers who could rise into one of the first few rounds next April, went bananas on the true opening weekend in college football. What's good too -- some of these large wideouts behave like power forwards on the field and have deceptive athleticism to generate chunk plays with the ball in their hands.

N'Keal Harry, Arizona State

Harry was ridiculous in Herm Edwards' debut.

At 6-4 and around 215 pounds, Harry squarely lands in the "big receiver" category, but he played like Tavon Austin at West Virginia against U-T San Antonio. His touchdown to open the game was a quick pass in which he spun out of an arm tackle then exploded up the field for 58 yards.

In the second half, he took a simple and short stop route, made four defenders miss while reversing his field and -- you know what -- I'll just show you.

Spectacular.

A big receiver who thrives after the catch? Yes, sir. Harry finished the game with six grabs for 140 yards and the two touchdowns. Also, one pass bounced at his feet on a comeback, and he was open on a speed out but the throw by Manny Wilkins Jr. was high and wide.

JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Stanford

Against San Diego State on Friday night, Arcega-Whiteside -- can we call him JAWS? -- played precisely like the big receiver prototype I touched on in the intro.

He physically overwhelmed smaller defensive backs all evening, boxed out like Andre Drummond, showed off nice leaping ability, displayed strong hands in high-pointing situations, and broke free for a long score on one of the deep connections he had with K.J. Costello.

Arcega-Whiteside had six grabs for 226 yards with three touchdowns. No, he wasn't facing a cavalry of future first-round corners and safeties. But six catches, 226 yards and three scores will always be impressive.

Jakobi Meyers, NC State

Kelvin Harmon was the returning 1,000-yard wideout for NC State, but in the Wolfpack's season opener, Meyers was the guy.

He had 14 snags for 161 yards against James Madison, a stat line which included a nice-point grab down the numbers, a big third-down conversation late in the third quarter on a catch outside his body frame with a defender draped on him, and a late-game snag on an out route in which he was sandwiched by two defensive backs.

Meyers is listed at 6-2 and 205 pounds. He's in for a productive season and has Day Two potential in the 2019 Draft.

David Sills V, West Virginia 

The man with 18 receiving touchdowns a season ago got off to a fine start in 2018 with seven grabs for 140 yards and two touchdowns in West Virginia's win over Tennessee in Charlotte. He burned a defensive back in the first half for an easy downfield score from Will Grier

In the fourth quarter, he was shoved out of bounds but immediately reestablished himself and skied for a deep ball then bounced off a defender for extra yardage. 

The 6-4, 210-pound Sills has some Jordy Nelson to his game. He certainly knows how to excel as a downfield target without having sub 4.50 speed. His length and ball skills will be accentuated often this season for the Mountaineers. 

A.J. Brown, Ole Miss

It was an methodical start for Brown. He reeled in just four passes for 32 yards in the first half against Texas Tech.

But the 6-1, 230-pounder finished the afternoon with seven receptions, 93 yards and a 34-yard touchdown grab on a nasty slant-and-go that essentially sealed the victory for the Rebels early in the fourth quarter.

Brown may not be a considered a towering wideout at the NFL level, and his game is reminiscent of many pass-catchers much smaller than him who excel after the catch. He doesn't struggle making grabs in traffic though.