Earlier today, we published our last Eagles mock draft roundup but NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein published his mock draft with an interesting nugget a little later.
Update, 10:50 p.m., April 23: The Eagles selected Reagor with their 21st pick. Head here for an updated post with full details and analysis of the selection.
Zierlein has the Eagles taking TCU receiver Jalen Reagor at No. 21 and his explanation is noteworthy:
This might be a surprising selection to some, but sources say the Eagles are enamored with Reagor's speed and explosive potential as a three-level target for Carson Wentz.
The Eagles are “enamored” with his speed and explosive potential, huh? I get that. Reagor is definitely an intriguing prospect.
Reagor is 5-foot-11, 206 pounds with great speed, explosion and shiftiness. Reagor was listed at 195 at TCU but weighed in above 205 at the combine and thinks he can play at that weight.
"Most fast guys are thin,” Reagor said in Indianapolis. “They have a lot of injuries, hamstring injuries. … (I am a) pretty healthy guy, pretty reliable and I have a good frame. So, I can take a lot of what's coming through the game."
NFL
Reagor is the kind of player that offensive coaches drool over trying to figure out how they’ll use him. But Reagor is far from a perfect prospect. He’s faster on tape, but he ran a disappointing 4.47 at the combine. And he was very inconsistent at TCU — he had four games with 15 or fewer receiving yards in 2019 — and struggled with drops.
But the home run ability and upside are certainly there as you can see in the video above. And he can be used all over the field, as a receiver, occasional back and on jet sweeps, and he returned punts and kicks for the Horned Frogs.
It’s worth pointing out that in Zierlein’s mock, there were no trades and the top four receivers — CeeDee Lamb, Henry Ruggs III, Jerry Jeudy and Justin Jefferson — were all off the board before 21. Jefferson was the last of the bunch to go at No. 20.
I’d argue that if there’s a run like that, there might not be another receiver worthy of the 21st pick. Reagor at 21 and Brandon Aiyuk to the Packers at 30 are the only other receivers to go in the first round. So if the Eagles are married to the idea of taking a receiver, there’s probably value in trying to trade down, add a later pick, and still get their guy.
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