Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Reagor will forever be linked to Justin Jefferson

By selecting Jalen Reagor one pick before Justin Jefferson, the Philadelphia Eagles have forever linked the two wide receivers in NFL history.

When the Philadelphia Eagles went on the clock at 21, their pick looked obvious.

After pining for one of the top four wide receivers in the 2020 NFL Draft – and watching CeeDee Lamb slip all the way to the Dallas Cowboys at 17 – things broke fairly well. Justin Jefferson, the presumed fourth-best receiver on the board was sitting pretty at 21, was sitting pretty without a team and the Birds could not only land their man but do so without having to surrender any draft assets to move up.

Heck, when the NFL Network/ESPN cut to Jefferson’s house, he was on the phone, presumably with the team about to draft him.

More from Philadelphia Eagles

• 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
• Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
• 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
• Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
• Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles

But then things got interesting.

After watching K’Lavon Chaisson go to the Jacksonville Jaguars 20th overall, the Eagles’ pick was announced: Jalen Reagor, wide receiver, TCU.

If we’re being honest, I couldn’t be more hyped.

Now if you didn’t read my pre-draft write-up on Reagor, or peep Section 215’s lone mock draft on the speedy Horned Frog, let me introduce you to the prospect.

Measuring in at 5-foot-11, 206 pounds, Reagor’s college career was beyond up and down. In 2018, he looked like one of the best wide receivers in all of college football, as his speed, elusiveness, and pension for hauling in contested catches was straight up elite.

But then disaster struck.

Well, not really disaster per se, but his 2018 quarterback, Shawn Robinson, opted to transfer to Missouri, and Reagor was saddled with the job of helping Max Duggan learn the offense as a first-year freshman starter. Despite being one of the better receivers in the Big 12 at making plays in the open field – not to mention some serious upside on jet sweeps and bubble screens – Reagor was stranded at the X receiver spot in the Horned Frogs offense, a position he doesn’t project to play in the NFL.

Reagor went from 72 catches for 1061 yards and nine touchdowns as a sophomore, to 43 catches for 611 yards and five touchdowns in what should have been his ‘contract year’.

Had he put up, say 1,300 yards, Reagor very well may not have even been on the board when the Eagles picked at 21.

Did Reagor have some drop issues as a junior? Sure, his seven drops on 88 targets is a clear knock on his game, but how much of that is his fault? If you want to believe Pro Football Focus – who had Reagor as their 21st ranked prospect in this year’s class – his issues as a junior were much more to do with how TCU used him than a deficiency in his game. PFF called Reagor a better pure deep threat than Henry Ruggs III, and he was the first receiver off the board.

If Reagor hits his upside, the Eagles just landed a 21-year-old Brandin Cooks clone who should excel as a Day 1 starter in the slot due to his contact-ready build and eventual replacement for DeSean Jackson on the outside as a certified deep threat.

When you run a 4.22 40 at your pro day and have an uncanny ability to stack cornerbacks on the outside, you are going to get drafted in the first round.

However, because the Eagles selected Reagor with Jefferson still on the board, the duo will forever be linked in the mind of fans, pundits, and sports bloggers alike.

Like Reagor, Jefferson likely would have also started in 2020 as a slot receiver for the Eagles, but as Michael Irvin pointed out on ESPN/TNN’s joint broadcast, that’s pretty much the only position he excelled at in college. When lined up on the outside, again, thanks to our friends at PFF, Jefferson graded out far worse and struggled to make plus plays.

In the lead up to the draft, I compared Jefferson to ex-Eagles second-round pick Jordan Matthews, and frankly, I mean that as a compliment. Over his first three seasons in South Philly, Matthew caught 346 passes for 2,673 yards and 19 touchdowns as the team’s best overall pass catcher. Had he not been traded to Buffalo for Ronald Darby, Matthews likely would have earned a nice extension with the team, and we may not even be talking about slot receivers in 2020.

Boy, someone should write an article about how that move change affected Matthews’ career….

Like Matthews, Jefferson was drafted to replace a departing superstar receiver – Stefon Diggs – and will be expected to contribute as a rookie for a team with legit playoff aspirations.

No pressure, right?

If Jefferson is able to replace Diggs as a rookie and finds a way to replicate his college production as the number two to Adam Thielen, maybe Eagles fans will curse this day. Heck, if Lamb eclipses Amari Cooper as the Cowboys’ top offensive target, this day may forever go down as a black mark on Eagles’ history.

But by selecting Jalen Reagor one spot above Justin Jefferson in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles have forever linked the careers on these two young wide receivers. Fortunately, in my humble opinion, I think Howie Roseman made the right call by selecting an athletic playmaker with a high ceiling over a steady possession receiver with a high floor.