The Eagles were expected to take a receiver at some point in the 2019 NFL Draft, considering Nelson Agholor is in the final year of his contract and DeSean Jackson will be 33 by the time the 2020 season begins.
So the fact the Eagles selected a receiver with the 57th overall pick was not shocking. What was surprising is that it was Stanford wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.
"J.J.'s ability to go up and get the ball, his strength, his ability to separate and finish contested catches in the scoring zone," Howie Roseman said. "He's just a highly-productive guy and really tough, really strong."
The selection of Arcega-Whiteside was a bit of a confusing one. Although he has upside, and was not a reach at No. 57, there are reasons to wonder why the Eagles went with Arcega-Whiteside over some of the other receivers on the board.
Here are some of the pros-and-cons of the Arcega-Whiteside pick:
PROS:
Size: Perhaps Howie Roseman was listening when Chip Kelly said big people beat up little people. Arcega-Whiteside has elite size for the receiver position, standing 6-foot-3 and bringing a proven track record of using that size to go up and win contested catches. The Eagles are now going to have the ability to put out one of the biggest, toughest set of receivers to cover in the NFL. They can now trot out a package that involves Arcega-Whiteside, 6-foot-3, with Alshon Jeffery (6-foot-3), Zach Ertz (6-foot-5) and Dallas Goedert (6-foot-5). In a league where so many opposing defenses are going smaller, with fewer linebackers and large cornerbacks, the Eagles are going to be an issue for defenses — especially in the red zone.
Hands: Arcega-Whiteside's best quality is without question his hands. Arcega-Whiteside has strong hands, and the result is he hardly ever lets the ball slip through his hands. Arcega-Whiteside had just one drop on 95 targets last season at Stanford, a drop rate of just 1%. Arcega-Whiteside's sure hands will be a welcome addition to a receiving core that has had issues with drops over the last two seasons. Considering he is excellent at going up and making a play on the ball. Chances are if quarterback Carson Wentz throws it up and Arcega-Whiteside gets his hands on the ball, he is going to come down with it.
Physical: Arcega-Whiteside played almost exclusively on the outside at Stanford with limited reps in the slot (just 11.5% per Sports Info Solutions). Arcega-Whiteside is a physical player that was able to win on the outside primarily by out jumping his defenders. Arcega-Whiteside isn't going to be able to outmuscle people in the NFL as frequently as he did in college, but knowing he is willing and able to mix it up with opposing cornerbacks is a good sign for the Eagles.
CONS:
Speed/Separation: Arcega-Whiteside's scouting reports read a lot like the ones used today to describe Alshon Jeffery. That is not a bad comparison, but Arcega-Whiteside has some of the same issues that Jeffery has. Arcega-Whiteside does not have great speed — him and Jeffery ran almost identical 4.48 40-yard dashes — and struggles to create separation. Arcega-Whiteside is a slightly better route runner than Jeffery, but he is not a player that is going to create a big window between him and his opposing defender. Last season quarterback Carson Wentz seemed far less willing to throw up 50/50, contested passes to Jeffery. Arcega-Whiteside could run into some of the same issues.
Fit: There is a place for Arcega-Whiteside on the offense, but considering he is a second-round pick, it is hard to see how he might land a large role. Arcega-Whiteside is unlikely to become the slot receiver, even if they do trade Nelson Agholor. Arcega-Whiteside is a compliment to Jeffery in the red zone, but it isn't clear if they would work as full-time starting outside receivers together. Arcega-Whiteside might be too similar to Jeffery to play with him on a full-time basis. Seeing how the coaches use Arcega-Whiteside both inn 2019 and beyond will be very interesting.
YAC: Arcega-Whiteside is not great with the ball in his hands, as he averaged just 3.9 yards-after-the-catch during his career at Stanford. Arcega-Whiteside, much like Jeffery, is going to have to be schemed open and into making big plays after the catch, as it isn't likely he will be breaking tackles on his way to a long run with the ball in his hands.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
