30 in 30: Ags would be blessed by good season from Pope

For the second consecutive year, AggieYell.com is marking the progress towards the start of fall camp with its 30 players in 30 days feature on the most important players to Texas A&M's success in 2013. The list continues with number 16, Edward Pope.

Position: Wide receiver

Classification: Redshirt freshman

Height/Weight: 6'4", 180 lbs.

2012 Statistics: redshirted

Why he's on the list: It's very obvious Texas A&M has experienced a lot of turnover at wide receiver since the end of the 2012 season: Ryan Swope, EZ Nwachukwu, Kenric McNeal and Thomas Johnson are all gone. All saw significant playing time and were major factors in the passing game last year. Between the four, A&M lost 147 catches from last year. Pope, a speedy athlete who was a 4-star recruit in the 2012 recruiting class, was able to redshirt last year but will be needed this season.

Pope is still long and slender, but he has something A&M will need in 2013: the ability to get deep. With his presence as a starter or the anchor of the second wave of receivers, the Aggies will have someone who earned the staff's trust as the offensive scout team MVP in 2012. A&M has a ton of talented young receivers on campus now, but there's still a big need for Pope to step up. He's got the speed and the hands the Aggies need, but can he get open? A&M will find out, because they'll be looking for him to contribute significantly in 2013.