SMU has four new receivers in spring workouts: early-enrolling freshmen Nate Halverson and Deion Sanders, former cornerback Rodney Hubert and cornerback Kenneth Acker, who was being tried at receiver to see if he can help the team on offense and defense in the fall. (Acker is out for the rest of spring drills after undergoing hernia surgery this week.)

Garrett Gilbert says the ball skills Kenneth Acker displays on special teams are an indication of the potential he has as a receiver (photo by SMU athletics).

Each of the four has enjoyed some ups and downs this spring as they learn the position in SMU’s offense. PonyFans.com caught up with quarterback Garrett Gilbert to get a scouting report on each

They’re all learning, and they’re all working hard. That’s one thing you notice right away — they want to be good.

Defensive backs will usually tell you they’re the best athletes on the team, and in a some cases, they are. All four of these guys have played defensive back, and they’re all very good athletes, so when they switch to offense, you know you’re starting with some great athletes. With an offense as complex as ours, they have a lot to learn, but you can see the talent is there, and some of the older receivers are doing a good job teaching these guys, walking them through where they’re supposed to be and what they’re supposed to be doing.

Kenneth Acker: “Ack” is probably the best athlete on the team, or one of them, at least, and he’s doing a great job making the transition (to receiver). He has great ball skills, which you could see — I saw it last year — on special teams. We know he’s still a lockdown cornerback, but if he gets to play offense, he’ll make a lot of plays at receiver, too. He obviously knows defenses and knows where to find a seam, and he has the speed to get deep, so if I can get it downfield, he can go up and get it.

Nate Halverson: He’s a lot like “Ack” — he’s a great athlete. He’s quick and fast, and he’s really good getting downfield. Some guys can run, and some guys can run and find the ball and go get it — he can find the ball and go get it. He’s another one of those guys who used to play defense, I think, but he’s very natural at the (receiver) position. He’s going to be a very good player.

Rodney Hubert: I’m not sure how much receiver he has played, and he has to get used to playing the position, but he’s getting better every day. He’s faster than he looks, too — he has gotten behind the defense several times — and he has really long arms for his size, so it’s like he plays bigger. I like the way he goes up and gets the ball at the highest possible point, too. You can teach route running and other things that are related to technique, but he has good height, long arms and a really aggressive attitude when he goes up for the ball. He has things to work on, of course, but those are things you can’t teach.

Deion Sanders: Deion is very young, but he’s also very quick. He gets in and out of his breaks really fast, and he has really good hands — he catches really well. When you look at him, he looks a lot like his dad. He’s not as big, but the way he walks, his long arms … he looks just like his dad. He's a smart player who knows the game. He's not very big, but he keeps making plays.