The Third Year Is A Charm For Nelson Agholor

It’s safe to say that Nelson Agholor has not had the best start to his career thus far with the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s also safe to say that his best days might lie ahead of him.

Nelson Agholor has heard it all before: “USC wide receivers are busts in the NFL.”

Agholor simply cannot catch a break. To be perfectly honest however, he hasn’t caught a lot of things in the NFL.

Competition at the receiver position has been few and far between over the last two seasons in Philadelphia, unless of course you count Rueben Randle or Chris Givens. With the offseason additions of Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith, the Eagles clearly feel that the position needs more help.

Over the course of the offseason though, Agholor has risen to the occasion. Repeatedly he has received praise during OTA’s. I will be one of the first that always minimizes the impact of catching footballs in shorts during the month of May and June. However, for Agholor, this is arguably his last opportunity at success with the Eagles.

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I, along with many Eagles fans, have been overtly harsh on Agholor during his tenure with the Eagles. Having said that, I also have had some lofty expectations for the now third-year wide receiver. He, in his own words, just needs to get out of his own head.

Given the structure of Jeffery and Smith’s contracts with the Eagles, Agholor could still be part of the Eagles plans for 2018 (and beyond). When coupled with Jordan Matthews‘ uncertainty with the team, it’s possible that Agholor could be one of the best two receivers on the team as soon as next season. That, certainly, makes urgency a key buzzword when discussing Agholor in 2017.

The tape that made Agholor such an interesting and intriguing prospect is still applicable. It is also important to remember that Agholor is a converted running back. He is still learning the position. There’s also a realistic possibility that Agholor could, in fact, be a good wide receiver in the NFL.

Skepticism aside, Agholor has as good of a chance as anyone to produce this season. Despite the offseason additions, draft picks, and competition already on the roster, Agholor will be on the 53-man roster when Week One commences. While largely a fantasy football perspective, the “third year wide receiver” theory is also applicable to Agholor as well. Mike Quick went as far as to compare Agholor’s first two seasons to both Jordy Nelson and Demaryius Thomas. I won’t go that far (yet), however I do believe we haven’t seen the best of Agholor. In 2017, I believe that we will.