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Wide receiver is no secret positional need for the Philadelphia Eagles after an injury riddled 2019 for their top guys that resulted in a what seemed to be a comical NFC East Title and a first round exit in the playoffs. With a young talented running back in Miles Sanders poised to solidify a starting role and Wentz ready to prove himself, they must reload this receiver room to put them back in contention.
The obvious big name receivers in this class have all been talked about in connection with the Eagles and their first round pick, but I want to highlight one of my favorite players in this draft that should be on the Eagles radar, what is Van Jefferson out of Florida. Van Jefferson is a 6’2, 197 pound receiver from the university of Florida, he’s a fifth year senior that transferred to Florida from Ole Miss in 2018, he played in 12 games in 2019, caught 49 passes for 657 yards and 6 TD’s.
Van Jefferson’s stats don’t get you excited and scream first round pick, which he’s not, but he possesses a very smooth overall game. Jefferson without a doubt has the best release of any receiver in this class, he is so technical and polished getting off the ball and off of press coverage. He is incredibly effective in his release combinations, he does a great job getting separation by using quick feet and wasting little motion. Jefferson also possesses great size and good enough speed to line up on the outside and get consistent separation in his routes, and even has the ability to switch up to the inside and still be effective with his ability to win at the line against quicker corners.
This 2020 wide receiver draft class has so much depth in terms of talent, that Van Jefferson has kind of fallen under the radar. While he had a great senior bowl week and got some people talking about him, I think he will ultimately be selected in the 3rd round come draft time. I personally really like Jefferson and think he should be taken early in the second, I love his polished release and route running, he’s got great size and has good enough speed, even shows some surprising burst when he hits open field. With the Eagles receiving corps being so depleted I could see them selecting one in the first and the second or third round. Taking Jefferson in the second or third would give Wentz a big target who can get open consistently and be relied on to catch the ball, and that’s an upgrade to say the least considering what was available to him down the stretch last season.
Philadelphia Sports Chronicle 