Ainias Smith. Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Three dark-horse candidates for Eagles No. 3 receiver position

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 5/13/24

Philadelphia may have two of the NFL’s best receivers in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, but who will be the team’s next No. 3 receiver?

Here are three dark-horse candidates that could fit the bill.

RB Saquon Barkley

Wide receiver DeVante Parker didn’t catch a single touchdown for the Patriots last season, but Barkley caught four with the Giants. Barkley has 288 receptions and 2,100 career receiving yards, more than double that of Parris Campbell (1,085.)

Over the past three seasons, Barkley saw 18 more targets than Parker and 55 more targets than Campbell. Each signed one-year deals with the team in the offseason but Barkley got a three-year, $38M contract. He’s not going anywhere but the other two might not even make the team.

SAQUON BARKLEY WHAT A CATCH pic.twitter.com/SmtwPcIBsw
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) December 17, 2023

WR Ainias Smith

The last actual wide receiver to finish as Philadelphia’s third-leading receiver was former Eagle Quez Watkins who finished with 647 yards in 2021. Since then it’s been tight end Dallas Goedert.

Watkins was the team’s sixth-round pick in 2020, which could bode well for Smith, a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft. At 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds, Smith looks the part of a slot receiver and with players like Brown and Smith roaming the field, he should get his share of open looks.

Smith typically ran slants and shallow crossers in college and seems more comfortable catching short-to-intermediate passes. He led Aggies receivers with 795 yards last season and in five years with the team, had 72 carries for 405 yards and four scores. That versatility and a willingness to go over the middle could earn him meaningful snaps next season.

WR Johnny Wilson

Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings calls the former Seminole “a towering spectacle with dominating size and length.” Wilson isn’t just 6-foot-7 and 237 pounds, he also has 35-inch arms and ran a 4.52 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.

He was a bit overshadowed by teammate Keon Coleman last season but Wilson led FSU in receiving with 897 yards and five touchdowns in 2022. With his size and speed, Wilson would make an excellent “F” tight end, something he’s resisted but given the offensive talent on the roster, just getting on the field should be his No. 1 priority.

More must-reads: