3 Reasons JJ Arcega-Whiteside deserves a pass from Eagles fans
2. The D.K. Metcalf narrative is played out and overused.
It’s without question the most overused, overhyped, and overly-cache argument where JJ Arcega-Whiteside is concerned. Philly took JJ in Round 2 at pick 57, and the Seattle Seahawks got D.K. Metcalf seven slots later.
Metcalf hauled in 58 receptions for 900 yards and reached the end zone seven times as a rookie. As mentioned earlier, Arcega-Whiteside caught ten passes for 169 yards and his lone touchdown came versus the lowly Miami Dolphins. People have been banging that drum ever since.
Now, let’s be truthful. For a second-round draft choice, being unable to beat out Mack Hollins and being outshined by late-season pickups and scout team guys is inexcusable.
Yes, Philly and their fans would have killed for 900 receiving yards from any of their wide receivers. Alshon Jeffery was the only one to eclipse 400 yards (490), and you see how much time he missed. That can be seen as another testament to Carson Wentz‘s greatness, but that’s another story for another day.
Related Story. Metcalf wouldn’t have worked here either. light
The long and the short of it is, while most had Metcalf rated higher than Arcega-Whiteside in the draft process, JJ wasn’t a bad pick. It’s easy to look at the results and state Philly screwed this one up, but anyone digging a little deeper has to understand that, while Metcalf was awesome and is destined for a great career, he too would have struggled in Philly.
Philly had enough talent. They lacked competent coaching in important spots. Seattle coached their guys up. The Eagles didn’t. That’s what ’19’ has had to deal with, and it leads to another argument that can’t be ignored in the trial of the people versus Arcega-Whiteside.