Philadelphia Eagles: The Nelson Agholor hype is real
Former first round pick, Nelson Agholor has been turning heads all off-season.
When the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Nelson Agholor out of USC in 2015, fans were unaware of who he was. When his impressive highlight tape made its way around the internet, the expecations for him started to grow. In his first pre-season game with the Eagles, Agholor showed some ridiculous athleticism by making a catch on an overthrown ball and running it in for a score.
After that moment, everything went downhill for him in Philadelphia. It was the 13th game of his rookie season before he finally scored his first touchdown. He ended his rookie season with 283 yards and that one touchdown. When former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly got fired, Agholor was largely seen as being a first-round bust.
Following a difficult rookie year with another:
His sophomore season as a pro didn’t get any better. Before the season had even begun, Agholor ran into some off-field issues. Although none of it led to anything serious, mentally most of it was, no doubt, exhausting for him. Last season he caught 36 receptions for 365 total yards, scored a whopping two touchdowns. He became infamous for dropping crucial passes and mistakes in key moments.
The Philadelphia fan base was ready to write Agholor off as a bust after just two disappointing seasons. Similar to the 2014 first round pick, Marcus Smith, Agholor was drafted in the first round into Chip Kelly‘s system, which was doomed from the start. Surprisingly, Agholor remains one of the few players left from Kelly’s tenure.
Philadelphia Eagles
Is The Breakout Year finally here?
When voluntary OTA’s began in Philadelphia, the only receivers that had the fans’ attention were Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith. After day one of mini-camp, Agholor had the city talking. There was talk that he looked good, but it wasn’t taken too seriously. It has to be a fluke, right? Wrong.
After two short months, Agholor has the entire city of Philadelphia buzzing. Everybody is rooting for him to turn the corner, and he might just be able to deliver. His feet are quicker. His hands are better. He’s more explosive, and his head may be in the right place. The final piece to the puzzle of Agholor’s comeback will be translating what he displayed at the Novacare Complex to Lincoln Financial Field.
This upcoming season could finally be the year that Agholor turns doubters into believers. With other receivers like Jeffery being on the field, more opportunities will come for Agholor. Also, a limited role for him plays in his favor since and alleviates the stress of being one of the focal points of the offense. The pressure will lifted. This will also be the first time Agholor plays with the same quarterback in back to back seasons.
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Obviously, emotions must be kept in check, but it’s hard not to root for the guy. Fans finally get to see the new and improved Nelson Agholor next week when the Eagles head to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers. Remember, Agholor is wearing number 13 these days, so don’t get him mixed up with Jeffery. Plus, Jeffery’s a little bigger guy.