Grading the Philadelphia Eagles 2019 NFL Draft Picks
JJ Arcega-Whiteside, WR, Stanford
Round 2, Pick 57
I’m willing to bet there probably wasn’t a single mock draft that had the Eagles taking Stanford wideout, JJ Arcega-Whiteside in the second round. Philly Brown, Parris Campbell, and K’Neal Harry were the usual suspects mocked to the Birds, but Whiteside was unknown to most Philadelphia fans until they selected him. At first look, the pick was a bit shocking. But when you truly find out about Arcega-Whiteside, you’ll quickly find out just how good he can be at the NFL level.
The Eagles threw curveballs all over the place in this draft. Many expected an eventual DeSean Jackson replacement, which would’ve required a speedy deep threat. Others thought about maybe a Nelson Agholor replacement, which meant that they needed to find a pure slot receiver. Instead, the Eagles went out and got Arcega-Whiteside who resembles Alshon Jeffery the most.
As Whiteside did, in fact, look up to Jeffery, his game is quite similar. Both guys aren’t the fastest, but they will make room for themselves to get open. And if they aren’t actually open, they are. With their big-body frame and ability to catch 50/50 passes at a high rate, both Whiteside and Jeffery are dangerous in the deep ball game and in the red zone. The Eagles were dedicated to adding weapons to Carson Wentz’s arsenal, and Whiteside is somebody to get excited about.