Eagles NFL Draft Preview: The Wide Receivers - And 1 More 'Batman'
PHILADELPHIA -The top of the Philadelphia Eagles’ depth chart at wide receiver is as good as it’s ever been with two legitimate stars at the position in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
From there, things drop off dramatically with the speedy Quez Watkins coming off of a down season and the capable Zach Pascal, a Nick Sirianni favorite known for his blocking skills, lost to the Arizona Cardinals in free agency.
The rest of the depth features limited players like slot-only options Britain Covey and Greg Ward, a cross-your-fingers developmental prospect in Olympic hurler Devon Allen, and the uncertainty of Tyrie Cleveland, a 2020 seventh-round pick in Denver who has some size.
Depth is needed and it’s a little bit surprising Philadelphia didn’t bring in a one-year, prove-it guy at the position just to draft-proof the roster.
As long as Brown and Smith are healthy things will remain fine. The two were spectacular in the Eagles’ run toward Super Bowl LVII last season with Brown setting the franchise record for receiving yards and Smith for receptions by a wideout.
Brown, was the final piece of the offense puzzle after being acquired on draft day last year for first- and third-round picks, as well as a $100 million extension. He piled up 88 receptions for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns while Smith finished at 95 for 1,196 and seven touchdowns.
The two are polar opposites from a physical standpoint with Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay dubbing Brown “Swole Batman” and the 166-pound Smith as “Skinny Batman.”
Both are extremely versatile, however, and can play each of the receiving positions making things difficult for opposing defenses because the opponents might be facing the same play but from a different look.
Watkins is too much of a one-trick pony at this point. The speedster can run by anyone and his ability to stretch the field is important but he needs more consistency both catching the football and as a route-runner.
The other bodies on the offseason roster aren’t expected to push for significant playing time on offense this summer but Covey should again vie for the punt return job.
DRAFT DAY BOTTOM LINE: The Eagles need depth behind Brown and Smith with Watkins coming off a down year and Zach Pascal lost in free agency. A meaningful upgrade at WR3 would make Watkins more palatable as the fourth receiver.
EAGLES WR DEPTH CHART:
X: A.J. Brown; Tyrie Clebeland
Z: DeVonta Smith; Devon Allen
Slot: Quez Watkins; Britain Covey; Greg Ward
EAGLES TODAY TOP 10 (we asked three former NFL scouts for their top 10 at the position and came up with a cumulative list):
1. Jaxon Smith-Ngigba, Ohio State
2. Quentin Johnson, TCU
3. Jordan Addison, USC
4. Zay Flowers, Boston College
5. Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
6. Tyler Scott, Cincinnati
7. Josh Downs, North Carolina
8. Jatden Reed, Michigan State
9. Cedric Tillman, Tennessee
10. Kayshon Boutte, LSU
Sleeper - Andrei Iosivas, Princeton
Boom or Bust - Kayshon Boutte, LSU
BUILDING THE PERFECT WR
Route-running - Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State - JSN has excellent short-area quickness and the natural ability to shake defenders.
Release - Quentin Johnson, TCU - A big receiver who knows how to use his size and speed to beat press coverage.
Speed - Zay Flowers, Boston College - The stopwatch doesn’t say he’s the fastest but Flowers plays the fastest of this class on film.
50/50 Balls - Cedric Tillman, Tennessee - At 6-3 and 215 pounds, Tillman can box out defenders on inside routes and go over the top outside. His issue will be separation.
YAC - Quentin Johnson, TCU - Johnson generated an astonishing 24 missed tackles as a receiver and once the first one misses, look out.
Blocking - Elijah Higgins, Stanford - A big blocking receiver out of Stanford? Eagles fans are familiar with that.
PRE-DRAFT PROCESS NOTES:
- The Eagles didn’t use any known top-30 visits at the position but keep an eye on Andrei Iosivas from Princeton, who was exempt as a local invite to the NovaCare Complex. Iosivas runs a 4.43 at 6-foot-3 and is one of the sleepers of this draft and some have compared him physically to Christian Watson. Philadelphia also spent some time with borderline to-10 prospect Marvin Mims of Oklahoma and West Virginia’s Bryce Ford-Wheaton.
Eagles Potential Picks:
Day 1 - None.
- If Howie Roseman trades down, Smith-Njigba would be a nice luxury as a mid-round pick but there’s only one football and too many other holes to deal with.
Day 2 - Marvin Mims, Oklahoma
- Mins would be a much better slot option, along with adding punt-return ability, than Watkins, which would in turn kick Watkins outside where he’s far more comfortable as the top backup to Brown and Smith. This is the kind of pick in the third round that would make the already super-charged Eagles offense better.
Day 3 - Andrei Iosivas, Princeton
-The Eagles would need to get back into the game in the fourth round to get Iosivas but his upside would be a prudent gamble earlier on Day 3 if Howie Roseman can manufacture more picks.
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-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
