Jalen Reagor drafted as future WR1 of the Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles have drafted TCU wide receiver Jalen Reagor with their top selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. We analyze the pick.

The long wait is over. The Philadelphia Eagles have drafted wide receiver Jalen Reagor from TCU in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

For some context on what this draft pick means, we have to look back and see what led the Philadelphia Eagles to this point. Despite the shock this pick may be to some fans, it actually makes a lot of sense. Like most things, in retrospect, we should have all seen this coming.

Since Howie Roseman took over as the Philadelphia Eagles general manager in 2010, he has opted to use the teams first-rounder on either an offensive or defensive lineman all but one time.

We won’t count the 2015 NFL Draft when Chip Kelly was the de-facto general manager and tried to run the roster like he was a college Athletics Director. Kelly drafting Nelson Agholor in the first round shouldn’t be held against Roseman’s record.

The notable exception to the linemen rule was in 2016 when the Eagles moved up to second-overall to draft Carson Wentz, selecting their quarterback of the future. Which is universally understood in the NFL as a good idea, since the quarterback is the most important player on any roster and worth moving up for.

Many draft experts consider moving up in the first round for any player OTHER than a quarterback to be foolish and a waste of draft resources. With a few exceptions, this is a smart policy considering the high level of “bust” rate draft picks have once in the NFL. Since it is well-known that most drafted players have a coin-flip’s chance of becoming a multi-year starter once in the NFL, it makes sense to be conservative when moving up in the first round.

In 2018, Roseman traded 32 overall to the Baltimore Ravens, who chose to draft Lamar Jackson. And in 2019 Roseman chose to trade up for left tackle Andre Dillard, in the process sending three draft picks to the Ravens to move up three picks. The Ravens ended up using the Eagles original pick for Marquise Brown.

Coming into the 2020 NFL Draft, several reports suggest Roseman would attempt to move up and secure one of the top three wide receivers. The Philadelphia Eagles decided to stay put, choosing to hold onto those valuable draft picks. Having that extra draft capital this year will help restock the team’s bench, but many will wonder if it would have been better to move up and secure one of those elite receivers. While Reagor flashed skill and speed at TCU, he did not get nearly the attention or praise as the other wide receivers drafted in the first round.

How general managers approach the NFL Draft is sometimes incongruous with how the media and fans perceive it to be. Every offseason, we hear about projected prospects the team is considering, based on roster needs. But many analysts and general managers believe that a team should use free agency to address roster needs and draft for value.

That is one of the main reasons each organization creates its own draft board and why some teams are known to draft “the best player still available”. With a few exceptions, most teams try to draft the best player still available to make sure that in the future the front office is flexible enough with every roster decision it will need to make.

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The first round this year went surprisingly as expected, without any major curveballs in the first round. The biggest surprise of tonight might be the Miami Dolphins drafting Austin Jackson so early. The Dallas Cowboys drafting a wide receiver was certainly unexpected. But for a talent like CeeDee Lamb, it isn’t overly surprising, as most mock drafts had Lamb far gone by the seventeenth pick.

Drafting Reagor fills a major hole on the Philadelphia Eagles roster. With the exodus of Agholor and potentially other long-term wide receivers before the season starts, it makes sense why Roseman targeted one in the first round. Last year, Wentz made history by throwing for 4,000 yards without a receiver breaking 500-yards. While impressive for Wentz, it showed how chaotic and unreliable the receiver room was in Philadelphia, which had been considered a strength heading into the season.

Fans may groan when looking at Reagor’s 2019 numbers. With just five touchdowns and 611 yards, it may seem at first like Roseman’s pick might be a developmental player. But situations at TCU forced Reagor’s numbers to regress in 2019, specifically bad quarterback play and questionable coaching decisions.

In his three seasons at TCU, Reagor had 22 touchdowns, 2,248 yards, averaging 15.2 yards per catch, according to Sports Reference. At the Combine this winter, Reagor ran a 4.47 40-yard dash and had an impressive 41-inch vertical jump. While perhaps not as celebrated as the SEC wide receiver in the 2020 NFL Draft, Reagor is one of the most talented receiver prospects in this year’s class. The Eagles offense is lucky to have him.

His film shows an excellent combination of speed and technique. His change of direction is excellent, his foot movement will trip up defensive backs and he can get yards after contact. While listed at 5-foot-11, he doesn’t appear too small against defenders and is built to sustain contact. While he may not have been Eagles fans’ first choice, he will fill a vital role on the offense as a reliable receiver for Wentz. And all without having to trade down.

The downside of drafting Reagor? The wide receiver position is one of the more volatile position groups to scout and there is a long history of “can’t miss” wide receivers in past NFL Drafts that did not live up to the hype. And while the position was clearly the biggest need heading into the draft, Roseman passed up a lot of good offensive and defensive linemen at 21. Players that aren’t guaranteed to be there in the second round.

At the end of Day One of the 2020 NFL Draft, the roster still has plenty of holes to fill and it will be interesting to see what Roseman chooses to do going in Day Two and Three. Several positions still need addressing before this team is ready for the start of the season.

Linebacker is still a major concern, as the Philadelphia Eagles top linebacker as of tonight is a converted safety. The running back position is lacking depth, as the team now has a second-year player starting and not many other legitimate options behind him. Cornerback number one might have been settled in free agency, but considering how badly the secondary was defeated in 2019, having more talent there can only help the team going into the season. And let’s not forget the team currently has a 33-year old player (who was injured nearly the entire season last year) as their only proven wide receiver to teach Reagor the ropes.

Reagor will have to prove he has big-play ability during the 2020 season before fans will call this pick a success. If Wentz can finally get that coveted “number one receiver” he has been lacking all these years, Reagor will be hailed as that game-changing wide receiver he needed to truly shine.

But if he is injured or otherwise not as successful as expected, many fans will grow discontent and question if Roseman has the chops to scout receiver talent. His track record in the draft and free agency has been questionable in recent years and his reputation has largely been sustained from the improbable 2017-2018 Super Bowl season. Another busted wide receiver might sour what’s left of the goodwill he accrued getting the team its first Super Bowl ring.

The Philadelphia Eagles still need plenty of help and only time will tell if what Roseman did in the first round tonight will help or hurt them going forward. Will tonight be the night fans look back on one day and say “this is where it all started”? Will they be saying that with joy or with frustration? Only time will tell.

For more analysis of the 2020 NFL Draft, make sure to keep checking back with NFL Mocks. We will be posting instant analysis of every pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, including final grades for each team once the draft is complete. Keep it here for the latest analysis of the 2020 NFL Draft, as we will constantly give you, the fans, the latest news, nuance and context to understand all things draft related.