2016 NFL Draft: Should the Eagles take a wide receiver in the first round?

After losing wide receiver Jeremy Maclin to the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency last offseason, this season the Philadelphia Eagles wide receivers were not spectacular. The season was marred by dropped passes and little to no production from majority of the wide receiver corp. Luckily, without Maclin, second-year wide receiver Jordan Matthews stepped up and had a career year with 85 receptions (126 targets) for 997 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. No other wide receiver on the Eagles roster came close to Matthews’ production this season, which begs the question: Should the Eagles take a wide receiver in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft?

Now, when you think about this question, there is two different schools of thought about if the Eagles should take a wide receiver at 13th overall? Let’s start with why the Eagles should not take a wide receiver in round one. If we take a look at the Eagles past two drafts under former head coach Chip Kelly, the Eagles have used three picks on wide receivers. In the 2014 NFL Draft, the Eagles took Jordan Matthews out of Vanderbilt in the second round and then in the third round selected Josh Huff out of Oregon.

Unlike Matthews, Huff has not made a huge impact in his first two seasons in the NFL. This season, Huff had 27 receptions (42 targets) for 312 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The Eagles need Huff to take a meteoric leap next season under new head coach Doug Pederson. Then, in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Eagles went wide receiver in the first round taking Nelson Agholor out of USC.

Agholor, the 6-foot-1, 190 lb. wide out dealt with injury and rookie growing pains only having 23 receptions (44 targets) for 283 receiving yards and a touchdown. But when he did make a play, he showed a flash of how good he can be as he has the speed to get behind the opposing team’s secondary.

But, on the other side of the conversation, if there is a wide receiver sitting there at 13th overall then the Eagles should take him, with the best player available mentality. If the Eagles go that route, there are two wide receivers in this year’s draft class, who are certified playmakers that can help out the wide receiver corps.

One of those wide receivers is Ole Miss’s Laquon Treadwell. Treadwell, the 6-foot-2, 210 lb. junior had a fantastic season this year after suffering a fractured tibia and dislocated left ankle last season against Auburn. This season, Treadwell came back with a vengeance, posting a stat line of 82 receptions for 1,153 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Treadwell is a nice size wide receiver, that has game breaking ability, who runs his routes hard, not afraid to block and can play on outside.

This season, Treadwell had six games of 100 plus receiving yards including Ole Miss’s Oct. 17 matchup against Memphis, where he had 144 receiving yards on 14 receptions and a touchdown. Finally, let’s not forget the Sugar Bowl against Oklahoma State, where he had three touchdowns to go along with six receptions for 71 receiving yards.

Finally, if Treadwell is taken before the Eagles pick, which is possible as I’ve seen him go as high as fourth overall to Dallas in mock drafts, then Baylor’s Corey Coleman is the next best receiver on the board. Coleman, who is smaller than Treadwell, coming in at 5-foot-11 and 190 lbs. is a playmaker as well. This year at Baylor, Coleman had a record-breaking season with 74 receptions for 1,363 receptions and 20 touchdowns. Coleman did this with three different quarterbacks under center.

Coleman can also play on the outside and if selected by the Eagles would be the perfect deep threat in Pederson’s offense. If you haven’t seen Coleman play, check out the video below, he has some serious speed and is very talented.

When draft night rolls around, do not be surprised if the Eagles take a wide receiver with the 13th overall pick. At a spot, where best player available is applicable, there is an obvious need for a playmaker at the position. If they can add a Treadwell or Coleman, the Eagles wide receiver corps will be that more dynamic in 2016.