What Are the Eagles Going to Do at Wide Receiver?
So far, the start of Eagles free agency has been exciting and interesting but yet feels slightly underwhelming with no transactions at the wide receiver position.
It is no secret the Birds are hurting at that position and have an extraordinary need for speed on the outside and competitive hands on the inside. The 2019 season was enough of a failure at the receiver position to show Howie Roseman this position needs multiple big moves. It is very possible NFL history is changed if Carson Wentz has one or two solid receivers in last year’s playoffs.
With players like Desean Jackson, JJ Arcega-Whiteside and Greg Ward, the Eagles have a decent starting stack of players when it comes to wide receiver. However, Jackson likely won’t stay healthy, Arcega-Whiteside has a ton of potential but hasn’t flashed it and Greg Ward is an average player. There are a multitude of opportunities for Howie to pounce on the longer free agency goes.
The NFL draft also gives an excellent opportunity to add excellent talent at the position. Alshon Jeffrey is not considered into this because he likely won’t play for most of the 2020 season with his foot injury.
So, what do the Eagles do now?
The longer players like Robby Anderson and Breshad Perriman sit in free agency, the more likely they end up inside the Eagles’ budget. Both players have had their ups and downs but would likely become top tier players in terms of production having an all pro quarterback in Carson Wentz and excellent coach in Doug Pederson.
A more likely approach for the Eagles is for them to attack the position hard in the draft, as reported on Inside the Birds Podcast. The 2020 wide receiver draft class is stacked with premier talent. It is being dubbed the deepest receiver class in history, even more so than the 2014 draft. Just about every prospect can make the argument they fit with the Eagles, but there are some that seem to be perfect fits.
Henry Ruggs out of Alabama seems to be the apple of Eagles fan’s eye, he’s fast and runs precise routes but the Eagles would have to trade up to land him, but with the Darius Slay trade that does become more of a dream than reality.
Laviska Shenault out of Colorado is an underrated star in this class. Benjamin Solak of the Draft Network has Shenault ranked as his 2nd overall receiver in the class. Shenault would be a Deandre Hopkins type player, he can accelerate in the open field and create separation on the outside making him a likable target.
KJ Hamler out of Penn State is the perfect Desean Jackson emulator the Eagles need. He is fast and makes defenders miss in the open field. He is a true ball tracking deep threat and is one of the big play receivers in this class. He is rather small but is a similar build to Desean Jackson and could help the Eagles make deep playoff runs.
Van Jefferson out of Florida is an excellent outside receiver. He is not overwhelmingly athletic but his route running is elite. He is extremely well rounded and would be an excellent target for Wentz. He is not as coveted as the other prospects but he could sneak his way into the 2nd round.
Nobody truly knows what the Eagles will do but Howie Roseman always has a few tricks up his sleeve.
After the draft, Eagles fans will likely be excited to see the next big time receiver in Midnight Green.
Featured Image: Jimmy Kempski/PhillyVoice.com
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