'Stay focused and make plays': Auburn receiver Nate Craig-Myers

'Stay focused and make plays': Auburn receiver Nate Craig-Myers'Stay focused and make plays': Auburn receiver Nate Craig-Myers

Ask Nate Craig-Myers for comments on his quarterback, his brother Jayvaughn, or Auburn's young receivers and he'll happily expound.

Ask him to talk about himself, what he's best at, and get ready for a stiff-arm.

"You'd have to leave that up to coaches," Craig-Myers said, brushing aside a chance to pat himself on the back like he would a defensive back at the line of scrimmage. "Whatever they want me to do to help my teammates out, that's what I have to do."

Only after the question is rephrased – 'What do you feel like your strengths are?' – will the receiver go along, and then the response lasts all of four seconds.

"A guy who can go across the middle, make bang-bang plays, 50-50 guy," said Craig-Myers, who distinguished himself in 2017 by doing just that, making tough catches in traffic.

Craig-Myers quadrupled his reception total from his freshman season, catching 16 passes as a sophomore. He averaged 17.8 yards per catch and scored first-quarter touchdowns in the Iron Bowl and SEC Championship Game.

"I just felt like whenever my number was called, I did what I had to do for my teammates," said the 6-2, 214-pound junior. "Overall, I felt like I had a good role."

Along with senior Ryan Davis and junior Darius Slayton, Craig-Myers forms a veteran corps that's compiled 173 career receptions. Fellow upperclassmen Will Hastings and Eli Stove, recovering from spring knee injuries, add another 89 career catches to the total.

Joining the vets are four freshmen who have quickly impressed their seasoned teammate.

"I love them," Craig-Myers said. "They love to compete, they bring a lot of energy, they feed off of us, we feed off of them."
 
Two years ago, Craig-Myers arrived from Tampa as one of the country's elite receiving prospects. He knows that potential does not always immediately translate into productivity when making the jump from high school football to the SEC.

"Just put that all to the side. Put your head down and work," Craig-Myers said. "Everything will come to you. It's college. Just do whatever you've got to do stay focused and make plays. That's the biggest thing. Whenever your number is called, you've got to do whatever you can to help your team.
 
"For most guys, It can be overwhelming. Some guys can control it. It's just your own personality."
 
Craig-Myers and his fellow receivers figure to benefit from a second season catching passes from Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham.
 
"Jarrett, since day one when he stepped foot in this door, he was a guy that you could lean on, a guy that was a leader, a guy that everybody looked to when he walked into the room," Craig-Myers said. "With that year that he had under his belt, I see a lot more experience. He's terrific. He's a guy that's definitely going to be playing on Sundays."
 
Nate's brother, Jayvaughn Myers, a sophomore defensive back, battled injuries as a freshman in 2017.
 
'He feels a lot more comfortable now," Nate said. "You can see that he's making that jump. He feels like he belongs now. I'm just proud of him."
 
Auburn, ranked No. 9 in the AP poll, kicks off the season Sept. 1 at 2:30 p.m. CT against No. 6. Washington in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
 
"They're a great team," Craig-Myers said. "They have guys who are going to go out and compete."
 
As always, Nate Craig-Myers will let his performance against the Huskies' vaunted secondary speak for itself.
 
 








 

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer