Eagles latest top-30 pre-draft visit is an intriguing wideout: What this Big-12 WR can bring to the offense

The Philadelphia Eagles are starting to ramp up the pre-draft visits in the weeks leading up to the draft. There's been a recurring trend with some of the pre-draft visits, and this latest one is very intriguing.

Texas Tech wide receiver Caleb Douglas is scheduled to visit the Eagles for a top-30 visit (per Houston's KPRC2). Douglas is a deep ball receiver that averaged 15.7 yards per catch for the Red Raiders last season, finishing with 54 catches for 846 yards and seven touchdowns.

Douglas joins Chris Bell and Omar Cooper Jr. as receivers to visit the Eagles on a top-30 visit. The common trend with all these top-30 visits at wide receiver? They all are playmakers wih the ball in their hands and can take the top off a defense.

This is the case with Douglas, who was a Z-receiver in the Raid Raiders' offense. A downfield threat, Douglas had 29 catches of 20-plus yards over the past two seasons -- good for 10th in the FBS.

How Douglas would fit into Eagles offense

The Eagles need a downfield threat at wide receiver if they would move on from AJ Brown this summer. Brown is the big play wideout in the Eagles offense, the one who can stretch the field and create havoc downfield. Brown has 14 TD catches of 25+ air yards since 2022, the most in the NFL over that stretch.

This isn't suggesting Douglas would just fill Brown's shows -- far from it. The Eagles would need a wideout that can at least stretch the field and open things up underneath for DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert.

When Douglas is on the field as a WR3 or WR4, he can fill that gap. The speed is clearly there when Douglas runs a post or a corner route and he knows how to read a break. That can benefit Jalen Hurts downfield if Douglas were to get a downfield target.

Douglas makes impressive catches, but is also prone to drops. He's not great at beating contact at the line and rushes through his routes too quickly, but can find his way open.

Where Douglas would stand if drafted by Eagles

Unlike Cooper and Bell -- the other Eagles' top-30 visits who can be Day 1 starters -- Douglas is more of a depth piece for the Eagles if they drafted him. The Eagles need depth behind AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Hollywood Brown.

Darius Cooper is competing for a spot amongst the wide receivers, along with Johnny Wilson, Elijah Moore, and Britain Covey. The Eagles could use another young wideout to develop whether they keep Brown or not.

Douglas also could project as a kick returner with his speed, even if he never returned a kick at Texas Tech. He would be more of player the Eagles can develop than an instant playmaker.

Where Douglas is projected to go in the draft

Douglas isn't projected to go high in the draft. He's projected as a Day 3 pick, mostly in the later rounds.

The Eagles have two fifth-round picks (No. 153 and No. 178) and a sixth-round pick (No. 197). With Douglas falling into the Day 3 range, it is intriguing the Eagles would bring him in on a top-30 visit.

The Eagles must see something in Douglas that was worth bringing him in. Perhaps the 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL combine was the indicator.