3 Quick thoughts on Philadelphia Eagles WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside

The Philadelphia Eagles take wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside with the 57th-overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. Are you curious? Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.

If you like big wide receivers, the Philadelphia Eagles got one with the 57th-overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. His name is JJ Arcega-Whiteside, and he comes to Philly by way of Stanford. He’s six-foot-three. He tips the scales at 225 pounds.

Oh, and did we mention he went to Stanford? Football I.Q. shouldn’t be an issue here. He and Zach Ertz should have a lot to talk about.

Here are three things that stand out:

1. NFL.com compares him to Eric Decker. The NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah compares him to Alshon Jeffery.

Here’s what Lance Zierlein said about Arcega-Whiteside in his pre-draft profile:

"Big, strong target who plays like he’s big and strong and gets more and more dangerous the closer he gets to the red zone. Arcega-Whiteside plays with functional quickness in spurts, but not enough to get away from tight coverage and he won’t run by many NFL cornerbacks on go routes. However, his basketball bloodlines are on full display every time the ball is in the air, using his body control and ball skills to excel at combat catches and back-shoulder throws. Arcega-Whiteside may not be explosive, but his competitive nature should help make him a future NFL starter."

While we spend so much time talking about guys who separate, here’s a young man that has no problem with contact. That isn’t to say he can’t create space. It’s just to say he’s gotten real comfortable with using his body to shield guys from the ball and snatch it in 50-50 situations.

Does that remind you of anyone you already know? ’17’ perhaps?

2. Yes, we’ve got numbers.

During his collegiate career (33 games), Arcega-Whiteside snagged 135 receptions for 2,219 yards, and he reached the end zone 28 times. If he has that type of production in his first 33 games as an Eagle, Philadelphia might give him a key to the city.

3. Carson Wentz has an embarrassment of riches.

Think about this for a second. You might be able to put your fantasy team together and use nothing but Eagles players. Carson Wentz has Dallas Goedert and Zach Ertz at the tight end position. He’s got Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins and Shelton Gibson to sling the ball to.

Now you can add JJ Arcega-Whiteside to that gifted receiving corps and Miles Sanders to an Eagles backfield that includes the likes of Jordan Howard, Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood, and Josh Adams. This Eagles offense keeps looking better by the day.