Jalen Reagor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
The team that passed on the aforementioned Justin Jefferson did so for the right reasons, given their offense and their quarterback.
Jalen Reagor is perhaps the ideal West Coast wide receiver. His footwork off the line of scrimmage and in the short-area of the field is nearly perfect, and in TCU’s offense he aligned heavily along the right side of the offense and into the boundary, giving him the experience to face and beat press coverage. He relies on a hesitation/stutter-step move to beat the press, and it worked consistently for him in the college game. Reagor also brings tremendous burst after the catch, and can be deadly on crossing routes and quick slants.
You know, the routes that litter a West Coast playbook?
Remember, West Coast systems are built around yardage after the catch. Reagor delivers that for an offense that badly needs some weapons in the passing game. But Reagor is not limited to what he does underneath. Some of his best routes come when he is working downfield, either on a straight vertical route or on a double-move. First, take this vertical route that highlights his ability to “stack” a defender (while also illustrating the level of quarterback play he endured last year):
Per PFF, TCU WR Jalen Reagor saw the "fourth-highest rate of off-target passes of any receiver in the country".
Beauty of a stack w/great explosiveness. Just a flat out miss by the QB. pic.twitter.com/tRgLE4sIMN
— Michael Kist (@MichaelKistNFL) February 5, 2020
Now look the cushion he erases on a double-move:
Reagor brings the experience of a West Coast receiver to the table, but also offers the downfield play-making ability the Eagles lacked when both Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson went down with injuries. Carson Wentz should be a very happy man this morning.