6 Jalen Reagor, TCU
Reagor is one of the most difficult guys for me to decide on. On one hand, I see a burner with a quick release, good acceleration, and big-time play potential everytime he touches the ball.
At other times, I see a ton of “Nelson Agholor”, where i catch myself wondering more about how bad the CBs he faced are, rather than how good he is.
Reagor does not want to block, has some drops, an undeveloped route tree, and mostly was used as a gimmick player. Due to his size, he has to win on speed in the NFL. Fast forward to the combine, and there was no doubt about his athleticism, but a 4.47 forty times was not great.
Reagor can fit the Eagles offense, but I don’t think he would become the major difference maker immediately. I have concerns, and if he ends up coming here, i would reserve my happiness until I see him against NFL CB’s.
7 KJ Hamler, Penn State
Talking about speed, Ruggs and Hamler are usually mentioned in the same sentence.
Hamler is all about the speed and competitiveness. Another guy who can make plays out of nothing, can burn a secondary that lets him go for a split second, and has score-on-every-play ability.
Hamler is also tremendously raw. He has some flashes of good routes, not just on deep stuff, but also intermediately. Then, you’ll see him get completely stoned by press CBs. Further, Hamler had some baaaaad drops in college, that would drive any Eagles fan completely crazy.
Hamler is a great project player, who can contribute situationally for the Eagles in year 1. Having him develop behind Desean Jackson almost seems like a fit made in heaven.
8 Laviska Shenault, Cal
I reserved my excitement about Shenault as a top prospect ever since I saw his first game. I was left feeling… meh?
He does have a smooth release, cuts well, and leans well in his routes. After the catch, he displays some YAC ability, decent elusiveness, and some “hey there” moves.
However, separation issues on deep routes, below average tracking and positioning for the football, not great at elevating for the ball, and generally lacking an “elite trait” had me worried. After running a dull 4.58 forty at the combine, Shenault landed here for me.
9 Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State
Aiyuk played ball for Arizona State for two years, and in 2019 really made a nice impression. Despite playing against lower-level competition, he managed to put some things on tape that I really liked.
He has good hands for one. Hands catches smoothly in traffic as well. After the catch, he makes some spectacular plays, and although i questioned how much was bad tackling, he was somewhat elusive.
Although Aiyuk appears fast, I think he looks slow in between cuts, which held me back from getting all worked up. He didn’t get convincing separation in college, and a lot of that was a result of slower acceleration.
I’m not totally sold on Aiyuk, but I like the potential.
10 Donovan Peoples-Jones
I did not pay close attention to DPJ prior to the combine, and the 10th spot on this list was either between Tee Higgins and Peoples-Jones. What is a list without some controversy?
I don’t like Tee Higgins. I think he is slow, has average route running at best, and basically won on routes in college on jump balls. Rough, but that’s how it is. Saying he would run extremely fast in the forty, only to skip the combine because he was “tired” is not good enough for me.
DPJ, on the other hand, stole the show. Jumped 44.5 inches high, 139 inch broad, and ran a 4.48.
My conclusion from watching the tape: Shea Patterson is a bad QB.
DPJ is a good route runner with some separation ability based on decent speed and good physicality against the DB. He catches just about every ball thrown in his realistic catch frame and blocks well. He is yet another raw prospect but could be a sleeper in this draft.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Vasha Hunt
