Philadelphia Eagles: Do they really need to go WR in the first round?
By David Esser
The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t been able to figure out the wide receiver position for quite some time now.
They milked out some good games from Nelson Agholor and Alshon Jeffery in 2017 before each player quickly regressed, JJ Arcega-Whiteside was a monumental second-round bust, and the recent Jalen Reagor selection will always be overshadowed by the fact that Justin Jefferson was right there for the taking.
As things currently stand, the Eagles most “experienced” WR on the roster is that of Greg Ward, a college QB turned practice squad wide receiver.
Less than ideal.
Do the Philadelphia Eagles really need to draft a first-round WR?
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Initially set to select sixth overall in this year’s NFL Draft, the general consensus amongst Eagles fans and draft experts alike was that the team would be targeting either Ja’Marr Chase or Kyle Pitts. Following a trade with the Miami Dolphins that saw Philly move from 6 to 12, the targets changed to Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith.
Some have suggested that the Eagles’ top guy at the moment is CB Jaycee Horn, but a majority of the fanbase is seemingly still banging the table for a new WR1.
In a recent piece for BleedingGreenNation.com, Brandon Lee Gowton laid out his argument for drafting DeVonta Smith, and how the whole “undersized” argument feels eerily similar to that we experienced last year with Justin Jefferson being labeled as someone who was “just a slot guy.”
"“…you may have heard me bring up this comparison multiple times before. I just can’t help but feel Smith is the Jefferson of this year’s class. This isn’t to say they’re identical prospects. Admittedly, Jefferson checked more boxes than Smith (size, athleticism, age). But not unlike Jefferson last year, people seem to be overthinking it and talking themselves out of Smith. I really hope the Eagles aren’t among those doing that. I don’t know how you could draft Smith and then feel really dumb if it doesn’t work out. Projecting prospects to the NFL isn’t easy but he feels like a good bet to be a good pro.”"
DeVonta Smith is coming off a historic season, and he appears to have the mindset of someone destined to succeed at the NFL level. However, there is a genuine argument to be had that going WR in the first round isn’t the best course of action for Philly this offseason: