Philadelphia Eagles: Will Nelson Agholor keep slot position?

With the Philadelphia Eagles’ receiving core more stable, can Nelson Agholor go from bust to solid contributor, given his new role?

At this point, we all know the ballad of Nelson Agholor. As a stud at USC, former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly drafted him with the hopes that he would replace Jeremy Maclin. Fans bought into the hype, given his measurements and overall style of play. Considering the fact that Kelly ousted the former Eagles’ core of DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, and Jeremy Maclin, fans expected this new crop of talent to thrive. It had to.

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Unfortunately, that did not happen. First, we have Jordan Matthews, who many felt would be the glue for this Eagles offense. In a sense, he fulfilled that request. However, the rest of the field did not meet expectations. Guys like DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, and Sam Bradford failed to take the Birds to the next level. In all fairness, the system was doomed to fail. Similar to every “gimmick” system the league is presented, Kelly’s fast-paced system crashed and burned within four seasons. The only players to get out of this alive were Darren Sproles and Nelson Agholor.

In all fairness, the system was doomed to fail. Similar to every “gimmick” system the league is presented, Kelly’s fast-paced system crashed and burned within four seasons. The only players to get out of this alive were Darren Sproles and Nelson Agholor.

Now, the hype around Nelson Agholor had its ups and its downs. For starters, he was actually pretty good in college. Over years at USC, Agholor caught 178 passes for 2572 yards and 20 touchdowns. Clearly, he was no scrub by any means. Regardless, he definitely has not met expectations.

From Bust to Bearable?

Since the Eagles drafted him, Nelson Agholor caught 59 passes for 648 yards and 3 touchdowns. Oddly enough, that sample size comes from two seasons of work. In his two seasons in Philly, Agholor’s catch percentage hovered around 52 percent. Sadly, that explains a lot. He simply has not executed when given the opportunity.

However, he may find a way to fix that. With the additions of Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith, Agholor won’t have to play the X or Z receiver spots. Fortunately, he will likely start this season in the slot. That means he won’t have to go up against the top cornerbacks on the opposing team. Typically, nickel backs don’t have the best agility. Players at this position focus mostly on their man coverage skills and hoping speed won’t play a factor.

In Agholor’s case, he may work best in the slot. Think about it, the guy’s quick and runs routes well. That was never the issue. Clearly, the issue came down to catching passes. If you put Agholor in the slot, with his 4.42 40-time and crisp route-running ability, he will take advantage of nickels.

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Now, back to the question at hand. To me, Nelson Agholor has the ability to stay in the slot. As long as he stays true to his ability, and stays out of his own head, he can succeed. Additionally, the rest of the roster may not suit the slot. Outside of Torrey Smith, the Philadelphia Eagles really don’t have much of a slot guy. They have guys like Mack Hollins and Marcus Johnson, but both play the outside receiver spot better. Agholor may maintain that spot by default. That said, he can still excel in that spot. Hopefully, he can do just that.

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