Philadelphia Eagles: Nelson Agholor is thriving in slot position

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, Nelson Agholor is having a career season at the slot position.

The last two years have been tough for the former USC standout, Nelson Agholor. When he was drafted at 20th overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2015 NFL Draft, the expectations for him were through the roof. His NFL career was born into a broken system that was simply failing after a fluke season under the infamous head coach, Chip Kelly.

Agholor ended up being a draft pick that nobody in Philly was too familiar with. Right away that raises a red flag for the fan base. Giving Chip Kelly the benefit of the doubt, everybody was ready for what Agholor could bring to the Eagles receiving corps. He finished his rookie campaign with a whopping 283 yards and one touchdown. Although everybody was disappointed, nobody wrote him off as a bust. Not yet, at least.

Year two was Agholor’s second chance to make up for his disappointing rookie season. Even though he put up better stats in his Sophomore effort, it still felt like Agholor would go down as one of the biggest first-round busts in Eagles history. He caught 36 passes on 70 targets for 365 yards and two touchdowns.

Agholor’s situation got so bad that it completely drained him mentally. When his second season finally ended, Agholor went off the grid and took it back to the basics. When he finally returned back to Philly for 2017 OTA’s, he shocked the entire city. The third-year veteran had a change in jersey number and a change in confidence. His biggest and most rewarding change was his move to the slot position. Agholor was once again back in his comfort zone, just like he was back at USC.

Looking at the production…

New year, new Nelson:

Currently, Agholor is listed as the second-most productive slot wide receiver in the entire NFL. At the halfway point of his third season, Agholor has already exceeded career-high numbers. With 428-yards and five touchdowns, Agholor has truly become a reliable option for his quarterback, Carson Wentz.

Agholor’s move to the slot position has made him a true threat to defenses. About 98-percent of his production comes from routes that he has run out of the slot. At this point of the season, defenses have had to adjust their gameplans to make sure Agholor doesn’t get too much separation. With Agholor now being a threat, it has opened up opportunities for other playmakers on the field.

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Clearly, the progression of Wentz has something to do with the players around him. With Alshon Jeffery and Zach Ertz tearing it up, the addition of No. 13 Agholor has helped the Eagles offense create plays that simply couldn’t be done last season. As the season goes on, expect Agholor to continue to thrive in his new role and a new set of confidence.