If any 2020 wide receiver prospect talks these days, Eagles fans listen. On Saturday morning, they liked what they heard.
Penn State WR KJ Hamler made an appearance on SportsCenter on Saturday to chat with ESPN's Louis Riddick about the upcoming NFL Draft, which begins Thursday, April 23.
Hamler, a slight but talented wideout who caught 56 passes for 906 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019, is expected to be selected in the draft's first two rounds, and his Pennsylvania connection has Eagles fans' interest piqued.
It sounds like the interest is mutual.
When Riddick asked Hamler about potentially playing for the Eagles in 2020, alongside former Penn State teammate Miles Sanders, Hamler had this to say:
I talk to Miles a lot. Miles is one of my best friends. [...] Yeah, we talked about me playing for the Eagles, and seeing if they're interested or not. I've talked to the Eagles a lot, actually, but I can only go to one team, and the one team that's going to get me is going to get 100 percent, 120 percent out of me, 24/7.
[...]
If I get drafted by the Eagles, I know Shareef Miller, Miles is one of my best friends, so that'd be a blessing. But I think anywhere, any team that picks me would be a blessing as well.
His second mention of the Eagles, after his comment about giving 120 percent, was kind of unprompted. Hamler just circled back to the idea of playing for the Eagles on his own terms. Sounds like someone wouldn't mind donning the midnight green.
NFL
You can watch Hamler's full appearance below:
Hamler turns 21 this summer, and while his size will almost certainly keep him out of the first round, he could be a steal of a second-round pick if he's still around at No. 53.
NBC Sports Philadelphia's Reuben Frank explored the Eagles' possible second-round wide receiver options earlier this month, and had this to say about Hamler:
Seems to already be an Eagles fan favorite. He’s only 5-9, 180, but an explosive playmaker who can turn a short pass into a big gain. All that’s going to keep him out of the first round is his size and small frame. Can he hold up against physical NFL corners? Intriguing prospect who could be there at 53.
The Eagles famously took another short burner of a wide receiver in the second round, with the No. 49 pick back in 2008. His name? DeSean Jackson. Yeah, that guy.
I'm not saying Hamler is the next D-Jax. But he's absolutely an intriguing prospect who would make perfect sense on the Eagles' 2020 roster.
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