The 2020 NFL draft started off like a dream scenario for the Eagles. Quaterbacks came off the board early, pushing tackles further down the board, which pushed wide receiver even further down the board. WR3, Henry Ruggs went first to the Las Vegas Raiders at pick #11, setting things up perfectly for the Eagles to catch a star WR falling down the draft board.
The next wide receiver to go off the board would be Jerry Juedy, widely viewed as WR1, to the Denver Broncos at pick #15. Everything was lining up for the Eagles to potentially draft CeeDee Lamb, WR2. The Falcons took cornerback AJ Terrell at pick #16, leaving just four teams between the Birds and Lamb, none of which with a clear need a wide receiver. Everything was breaking as well as it could.
Then Jerry Jones happened…
With the 17th pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys select, CeeDee Lamb. Those words will be ringing throughout my nightmares for as long as I may live. This pick was exclusively out of spite. The Cowboys have massive needs on defense – secondary specifically. There were players they reportedly liked still on the board, Xavier McKinney and Trevon Diggs, but no, they had to take a wide receiver. I guess this is what it must have felt like when the Eagles moved ahead of the Cowboys for Dallas Goedert. I don’t like it.
It would have been great to see the Eagles move ahead of the Cowboys to try and get the receiver fans have been drooling over all offseason, but thats what happens when you constantly trade your draft picks. The Eagles only had two picks in the top-100 going into the draft and their roster is in desperate need of some rejuvenation. A trade up couldn’t be facilitated without offering at least their second round pick, which was simply too rich for the Eagles’ blood. Of course, had the team decided to pay Byron Jones the money he wanted instead of trading for Darius Slay, the Eagles may been able to pull off a trade for Lamb, but C’est la vie.
Now, onto the player the Eagles actually selected at pick #21, Jalen Reagor. I like the pick, but I don’t love it. Had the Eagles traded back a few spots to take Reagor, I would feel much better about it. I saw him going somewhere in the 25-30 range. Apparently teams coveted Reagor though and a trade back may have meant the Eagles weren’t going to get him, so I understand the reach. I give this pick a B/B-.
The biggest controversy with this pick, outside of not trading up for Lamb, is that it came with Justin Jefferson still on the board. Jefferson, widely viewed as WR4, was a player many thought wouldn’t be there when the Eagles were picking at #21. When he fell to them, it was suppose to be a no brainer, but instead they went in a different direction and took Reagor.
Jefferson has the higher floor and is the safer bet to be a great pro, but he isn’t a great fit on the Eagles. Reagor struggled a bit as a junior, his 47% catch rate was the 3rd worst in college football last season and his 16.4 drop rate isn’t good either, but his explosiveness can’t be denied. Reagor is a guy who can line up on the outside and stretch the field, opening things up in the intermediate. This is something the Eagles desperately needed last season. Jefferson on the other hand projects best to the slot, an area where the the Eagles already have Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, and Greg Ward. For as good as Jefferson is, using the 21st pick in the draft on a slot receive never seemed like a good use a resources, especially after they were able to find one in a former undrafted, converted quarterback who had spent two seasons on the practice squad.
To me, the biggest thing that separates these two receivers is their sophomore seasons. In his lone season playing on the outside, Justin Jefferson had 54 recs, 875 yds, 6 TDs. Good, not great numbers the pale in comparison to what he posted out of the slot.
Reagor as a sophomore, with a kinda capable QB, 72 recs, 1061 yds, 9 TDs. People have concerns over Reagor’s hands due to his high drop rate as a junior, but he also suffered from the “fourth-highest rate of off-target passes of any receiver in the country” according to PFF. His receptions went from 72 as a sophomore to 43 as a junior and I want to put a lot of that on poor QB play. Even in his breakout 2018 season, TCU had the third lowest QB rating in the Big 12. I can’t wait to see what he can do with an actual QB.
For as much as I am a fan of Reagor, the Eagles still need to add more at receiver. I’m excited/nervous to see how the team compliment’s their first round pick. There are a lot of quality slot receiver that could be available late – another advantage of not taking Jefferson. It may not have been exactly what we were expecting, but the Eagles draft is off to a solid start.
Snowballs & Batteries 