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Eagles Continue To Live With A Massive Draft Mistake

Originally posted on The Cold Wire  |  By Steven Kubitza  |  Last updated 1/20/22

The Philadelphia Eagles decided they wanted to add a top receiver back during the 2020 NFL Draft.

A few top prospects remained by the time they were up at No. 20 overall.

Jalen Reagor, Justin Jefferson, Brandon Aiyuk, and Tee Higgins were all there for the taking.

As we know now, the Eagles went with Reagor while Jefferson went a pick later to the Minnesota Vikings.

That decision continues to haunt Philadelphia two years later.

Reagor played in all 17 games this season and finished with 299 receiving yards.

Jefferson finished with 1,616 yards after posting 1,400 as a rookie.

Eagles leadership spoke with the media this week and GM Howie Roseman said the obvious about Reagor.

“As we head into year three, we expected more from Jalen at this point,” Roseman said.

It goes without saying that Reagor has been a disappointment, but plenty of the blame falls on Roseman as well.

Blame On Both Sides

The NFL Draft is a fascinating process because the players don’t decide when they get chosen.

GMs may declare a player to be a first-round talent when the potential is simply not there.

That appears to be the case with Reagor after another bad season.

Yes, he was a top prospect coming out of TCU.

But he was unfairly compared to Jefferson simply because of his draft slot.

It is clear that Jefferson is the elite talent between the two and from that entire draft class.

So what are the Eagles to do?

They went with another first-round receiver in 2021 with DeVonta Smith and he led the Eagles in receiving this season.

Now the team has three first-round picks and may take yet another top receiver, while also addressing other needs thanks to the added draft capital.

Reagor will be entering his third season with one more chance to step up and live up to his draft slot.

If he fails, there will be no fifth-year option in his future at a time when Jefferson may get a record deal.

This article first appeared on The Cold Wire and was syndicated with permission.

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