Philadelphia Eagles: John Hightower’s ceiling and floor in 2021
Ceiling: John Hightower wins the Philadelphia Eagles’ third receiver spot
As of right now, the Philadelphia Eagles technically have two wide receivers locked into starting roles, Jalen Reagor and DeVonta Smith.
Is that potentially up for debate? Sure. Maybe Smith will play the role many expected Reagor to fill, and the former TCU standout will be relegated to return man duty as a deep bench reserve – probably not, but you never know – but as a general rule, I think most expect those two receivers to be prominent parts of Nick Sirianni’s offense at one position or another depending on the snap.
That leaves the Eagles with one wide receiver spot left to fill in their starting 11 personnel package, assuming, of course, the team doesn’t go with a full-on platoon rotation a la the defensive line under both Jim Schwartz and apparently Jonathan Gannon.
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While John Hightower doesn’t have the starting experience of his primary competition for WR3, as Greg Ward and Travis Fulgham have 13 and 8 starts to their respective names, he presents a unique height-weight-speed combination that no other reserve receivers on the team can bolster.
Measuring in at 6-foot-1, 189 pounds with legit 4.43 speed and a 38.5 inch vertical, Hightower is a prototypical NFL wide receiver who can make plays on the outside as a flanker or in the slot as a matchup piece. If the Eagles decide they want to play Smith exclusively out of the slot in three wide receiver sets, where his impeccable rout-running could pick apart unsuspecting slot cornerbacks, having a pair of speedy receivers like Hightower and Reagor on the outside could make a ton of sense.
Alternatively, if Reagor transitions into the slot and goes all-in on being a space playmaker, Hightower could play opposite Smith on the outside, even if it would give the Eagles a pair of 6-foot-1 outside receivers who weigh 364 pounds combined.
Heck, maybe Hightower could even earn snaps in the slot as a Nelson Agholor-esque option on the inside, which worked out pretty well for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 in route to their first career Super Bowl win; either way, there’s a lot to like about Hightower spending a lot of time on the field with Smith and Reagor in three-wide receiver sets.