Laugh Now, Cry Later
The wide receiver class of the 2020 NFL Draft was expected to be one of the best classes in recent history.
With 13 receivers selected in the first round and 37 taken in total, it’s obvious that the league thought just as highly of this group as the general public. To say that this group has lived up to this promise would be an understatement.
Where should we even start? Jerry Jeudy has already staked claim to having some of the best footwork in the game, for much of the season Justin Jefferson was the highest-rated wide receiver in the entire league through the first month. CeeDee Lamb didn’t take long to surpass Michael Gallup as WR2 in Dallas, Laviska Shenault as expected is being used all over the field In Jacksonville and is doing a decent job devolving as a pass-catcher.
No, we still aren’t finished yet…
Steelers receiver Chase Claypool is a name that Eagles fans have nightmares of after his four-touchdown performance in week five. Tee Higgins has propelled on the scene as a reliable target for Joe Burrow. Brandon Aiyuk has been a force on the air and on the ground leading all rookie receivers in rushing yards and touchdowns. Darnell Mooney is carving out a nice role as WR2 in Chicago. Gabriel Davis isn’t your average rookie according to Stefan Diggs; after earning a 117.4 passer rating when targeted during his time a UCF and that has translated to the league as he came in as the only rookie receiver to come away with a perfect rating when targeted a month into the season. The ten catches, 220 yards, and one touchdown may not jump off the screen when you discuss the first wide receiver taken in the draft, but even Henry Ruggs has made his mark on Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders; with a 117.8 passer rating when targeted.
The point of this being that this has been a very successful class up until this point.
And well Eagles first-round pick Jalen Reagor? He has become the forgotten man of sorts, with all the success these young receivers are seeing.
Things started so well. After making waves showing off his abilities as a vertical threat with his 55-yard bomb in week one against the Washington Football Team. Reagor was en route to being mentioned in the same light as his rookie class brethren, after producing four more receptions and 41 yards against the Rams in week two. Thus bringing his totals to five receptions and 96 yards through two games. Which would be fine, if he had the chance to continue to perform.
Instead, a UCL injury (torn ligaments in his thumb) sent him to injured reserve, sidelining him for six weeks. The best ability is available, and with Reagor, on the sidelines, it didn’t take long for many of his peers to surpass him statistically.
*cues jokes*
http://twitter.com/slenderjude/status/1318384731927597058?s=21
What many fail to understand is that Howie Roseman and company were perfectly fine missing on the ‘better player’. Philadelphia had a plan to invest in some speed along the offensive side of the ball. If memory serves correctly the Eagles were the worst team in the league in regards to down the field productivity. To say the receiving group underachieved would do a disservice to just how bad the unit was.
In fact, the Eagles offense finished the 2019 season averaging 6.46 yards per target; almost a half yard worse than every other offense in the league.
This isn’t to say that Jefferson can’t stretch the field, as seen by his 71-yard touchdown against the Titans. But it wasn’t he wasn’t quite projected to be the deep threat Reagor was.
It was said that during Reagor’s final year at TCU he clocked in the fastest in-game max speed in the country at 22.6. Which is faster than the NFL’s in-game max speed of 22.3 set by now Dolphins running back Matt Brieda.
“Reagor has a rare type of ability to reach top-end speed as quick as he wants to. Track background flashes immediately and he has the speed to burn for days. He operates at an outrageously fast pace and it leaves defenders at a stand still because of his elusiveness. Rapid feet that enable him to easily run past second and third level tacklers to eat up yards in bunches. He’s a natural hands catcher, who hardly ever lets the ball crowd his body. Reagor attacks the balls apex.” – Jordan Reid (The Draft Network)
If the Eagles were hell-bent on coming away with the best wide receiver possible, what was stopping them from moving up to select CeeDee Lamb before Dallas could? Or selecting Jefferson with the 21st overall selection? To fans and some media outlets, it seems as if Reagor has been declared a miss already, but by who’s standards?
If you listened to Howie Roseman this off-season, maybe people outside of the Novacare Complex are the only ones who seem to think the Eagles made the wrong decision.
“When we went back and looked at our team over the last year, we wanted to get more explosive, we wanted to get faster,” Roseman said. “We kind of went over the top to make sure we have explosive athletes for our quarterback, for our play-caller, and we’re really excited with what we did over the [course of the draft].”
Sure Reagor may not have had the immediate impact his peers have made on the league early in his career, but how fair is it to give up on a player midway through a rookie season? Especially on as explosive as the TCU product? Think about it in this perspective Antonio Brown and Isaac Bruce; two of the top receivers in the game during their respective eras both saw limited contributions as a rookie. But if you’d ask someone about either one of their playing abilities, surely no one remembers that in 1994 Bruce only produced 21 receptions, 272 yards, and three touchdowns. Or that Brown only had 16 receptions and 167 yards on the season.
It is perfectly normal for Eagles fans to be terrified with the prospect that Reagor doesn’t become the standout he is projected to be. When you take into account Howie Roseman’s draft track record and the lack of production Philadelphia has received from last year’s second-round selection, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside; it’s obvious to see why the stakes on the Reagor selection was so high. Wentz needs weapons, the Eagles need weapons, and the fans want results.
So what does that mean for Reagor? Well, it’s all apart of the plan if you ask the first-year wideout.
Reagor understands that it’s a marathon, not a race.
Just because he doesn’t have the rookie season he or others may have expected doesn’t mean the Eagles made the wrong decision or that he will even be a bust.
Only time will tell, these circumstances and with half a season left, there is still a lot of time for the young man to prove his worth. But Rome wasn’t built in a day and Reagor knows until then all he can do is play his game.
He was able to input three receptions, 16 yards, and a touchdown following his return against the Cowboys prior to the bye week. It may not have been much but it was certainly a step in the right direction.
“It’s just a little bit of adversity. Just a test. And I feel like I passed them. I’m not going to let them get me down or get me in a funk. It’s all about how you respond. It’s all about being resilient.” – Jalen Reagor
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