Philadelphia Eagles: The D.K. Metcalf dreams are probably done

For an entire generation of Philadelphia Eagles fans, Russell Wilson was the one that got away.

You surely know the story by now; the team was enamored with the NC State/Wisconsin product heading into the 2012 NFL Draft and wanted to draft him with the 25th pick in the third-round (88th overall). Why the team didn’t just draft Wilson in the first or even the second round, we will never know, but once he was selected by the Seattle Seahawks, Andy Reid changed course and picked a big-armed quarterback out of Arizona by the name of Nick Foles.

In hindsight, that worked out pretty well – even if it took a few years to fully come to fruition – but when Jeffrey Lurie is still lamenting missing out on Wilson a decade later at the 2022 NFL owners meeting, you know that draft miss holds a not-so-special place in his heart.

Why, you may ask, is this relevant now, a good month after “Mr. Unlimited” was traded to the Denver Broncos? Well, because to the next generation of Philadelphia Eagles fans, D.K. Metcalf was their version of Russell Wilson. With his Seattle quarterback shipped away, many around the NFL assumed that the second-round receiver picked seven spots after JJ Arcega-Whiteside might be similarly available, but alas, if recent reports are to be believed, the chances of a lucrative contract extension are more likely than a pre-draft trade.

D.K. Metcalf probably won’t join the Philadelphia Eagles any time soon.

D.K. Metcalf might just be the most uniquely talented wide receiver in the NFL.

Measuring in at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds – with a reported 1.6 percent body fat –  Metcalf recorded 27 reps on the bench press, a 134-inch broad jump, a 40.5-inch vertical jump, and a 4.33 40 yard dash at the 2019 NFL Draft Combine, all of which ranked in the 93rd or better percentile according to Mockdraftable. Now granted, Metcalf also turned in a 7.38 second run at the 3-cone drill and a 4.5-second 20-yard shuttle, which ranked in the third and fourth percentile respectably, but you shouldn’t know it by watching him ball out on the football field, as Metcalf’s less-than-ideal lateral movement ability has largely been overshadowed by his sheer dominance.

I mean, we’re talking about an elite X receiver who has recorded at least 900 yards in each of his first three NFL seasons and doesn’t turn 25 until December. Metcalf caught one more touchdown than the Eagles’ entire receiving corps in 2021 – 12 versus 11 – and assuming his team secures a solid quarterback this fall with a legit deep ball, he could do some again in 2022, as he might just be the most imposing red zone threat in the NFL.

Will that quarterback be Jalen Hurts? I guess anything is possible, but according to Jordan Schultz, who co-hosts the “Pull Up Podcast” with C.J. McCollum, the Seahawks intend on extending Metcalf before his contract expires at the end of the 2022 NFL season and will not trade him for any reasonable package.

Could Schultz be wrong? Potentially so, but when Joe Gigli of 94WIP asked about Metcalf’s availability, Howard Eskins passed along the following, “I’ve been told by multiple people when somebody calls Seattle about D.K. Metcalf (they said) ‘We’re not trading him. We’re not trading him.’ They don’t even take the offer.”

Unfortunately, I think that boat has officially sailed.

Would D.K. Metcalf be an awesome fit on the Philadelphia Eagles? Oh yeah, maybe not as good as A.J. Brown – who Jordan Schultz also reports isn’t really available – but his size, speed, and swagger would have been an asset to Jalen Hurts and helped to make life easier for DeVonta Smith and Quez Watkins. *sigh* Oh well, I guess the team will just have to turn to the draft and hope they secure the next D.K. Metcalf, which shouldn’t be too hard, as there are plenty of 6-foot-4 wide receivers who run 4.33s and have sub-2 percent body fat…