WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside
The understanding heading into the 2019 draft was that Philadelphia was in need of more speed in their receiving room. Then the second round came and left many fans confused by the selection of the massive jump-ball specialist Arcega-Whiteside. Considering what he brings to the brunch, this selection makes a lot more sense than it seems on the outset.
Number one, as mentioned in the section on Miles Sanders, Carson Wentz’ favorite routes are the hook/curl and the out route. Another common route is the slant. While speedy receivers open up field underneath for these routes to succeed, adding a deep threat receiver is a roundabout way of helping Carson excel on those passes. The smaller, speedier pass catchers also generally don’t offer much in the way of a catch radius. JJAW will have no issue bodying a defensive back on outs, curls and slants and also brings some impressive route running technique on each of those particular routes. He has a MASSIVE catch radius and will help Carson immensely on those sometimes not-so-perfectly thrown balls. I highly recommend watching the video below to anyone who is still on the fence:
Speaking to deep routes, something that has plagued Carson early on in his career is timing on his deep ball. Too often would we see receivers streaking down the field only to have to adjust back to an underthrow or delayed football. Ideally, you’d like to see some adjustment on Wentz’ part. In the meantime, adding receivers to the roster that can come through defensive backs to make contested catches is another way to alleviate the pressure. JJAW has fantastic downfield releases and will find himself behind corners simply by his technically sound get-off. The ability to then high point the football in jump ball situations will help Carson immensely.
The other area that JJ will help is one that Carson showed some regression in last season — the red zone. Imagine for a second that you are a defensive coordinator that has to figure out a way to cover Alshon Jeffrey, Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert and a 6’2″ 225 pounder with the wingspan of a condor. It’s a nightmarish. Carson almost can’t go wrong. The Eagles could also hand the football to Jordan Howard and let him pound the ball in. Without a doubt, getting better inside the 20-yard line was a focus for Philadelphia. It looks like Arcega-Whiteside was the exclamation point on that statement.
Concerning the addition of QB Clayton Thorson.
The biggest question concerning the Eagles 2019 draft was undoubtedly why? Why spend a selection, late round or otherwise, on a quarterback; especially one with a less-than-stellar statistical output. The short answer is trading capital. Howie Roseman had stated that he wanted to return to the old ways of drafting a quarterback every year. The backup QB position has become exponentially more valuable around the league and the Eagles have an incredibly QB-friendly coaching staff and offensive scheme.
Whether Nate Sudfeld becomes too expensive to keep or plays his way into an opportunity to start for another team, the reality that he may not be an Eagle forever is on the horizon. If he does stick around, perhaps the Eagles will be able to recoup a mid to late round selection by way of dealing one of their developmental prospects in a year’s time. It’s true that there may have been more immediate contributors at other positions available when Philly took Thorson. However, if it all pans out, they may be able to trade him for a player that has more talent than any of those options anyways.
He’s a big bodied, athletic kid that could incite a look from other franchises with some good morsels of play during the preseason. If nothing else, he’s a flexible piece to use as the third quarterback — a position generally used to help the defense train for upcoming opponents.
