The first round of the 2020 NFL Draft is in the books. There were a number of surprises, especially when it came to the wide receivers. The Las Vegas Raiders took Henry Ruggs III at No. 12 to make him the first wide receiver off the board. After Jerry Jeudy went to the Denver Broncos at No. 15, CeeDee Lamb fell all the way to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 17. The Eagles opted to stay at No. 21 and take Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson.
Back up a second. Yes, the Cowboys were able to grab CeeDee Lamb at No. 17. Eagles fans all over Twitter were clamoring for Philly to move up in front of Dallas after watching Lamb fall. However, while Eagles general manager Howie Roseman did confirm that the team looked into moving up, they ultimately decided that the cost was prohibitive:
This makes sense, especially after the Eagles traded two draft picks to the Detroit Lions for Darius Slay a few weeks ago. They have been adamant about their need to get younger and their desire to use most of their remaining eight draft picks, and the price to move up would have likely cost them either their second-round pick or two additional picks. Trading up for CeeDee Lamb would have been a solid move for them, but they ultimately handcuffed themselves when they used some of their draft capital to acquire Slay.
Eagles take Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson
Let’s recap really quickly. The Eagles opted to stay put at No. 21 in the draft. Three wide receivers were selected before their pick:
- 1.12. Las Vegas Raiders — Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama
- 1.15. Denver Broncos — Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
- 1.17. Dallas Cowboys — CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
That means that LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson, the wide receiver who was mocked to the Eagles more than just about any other player, was still on the board. Instead, the Eagles opted to go with TCU wide receiver Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson. While there were definitely some mock drafts that had the Eagles selecting Reagor, most assumed that Jefferson would already be off the board. As for trading back, Roseman said that he did not believe Reagor would still be on the board if they moved down:
When I mocked Justin Jefferson to the Eagles in Thursday’s NFC East-only mock draft, I mentioned that I didn’t love the pick. I feel that Jefferson is a safe pick, but he’s not a sexy pick. He projects as someone who will contribute right away but might have a low ceiling. The word “slot” comes up too often when discussing him, and that’s scary when you are talking about a first-round pick.
Jalen Reagor comes with some risk. Drops have come up when discussing him, but it is worth noting that he had truly atrocious quarterback play in 2019:
Ultimately, the Jalen Reagor pick is the equivalent of swinging for the fences instead of trying to get a base hit. There is risk, but, oh boy, is there reward. More than anything, the Eagles need playmakers and speed. Reagor provides both. Justin Jefferson projects as more of a sure thing and may very well have a solid NFL career, but the gamble on Reagor gives the Eagles a player at a position of need who can do this:
