Philadelphia Eagles: An ideal re-draft of their 2019 class

Philly ignores J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and goes with D.K. Metcalf at 57.

J.J. Arcega-Whiteside has often been the center of criticism since he arrived in Philly. Eagles fans still have a hard time getting over the dropped pass on what was a potential game-winning touchdown on fourth down in Week 3 against the Detroit Lions. ‘JJAW’ had a tough time running routes effectively and getting open in his inaugural professional season.

It’s easy to forget that the 23-year-old wasn’t even supposed to start this year. The plan was for him to sit behind Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, and Nelson Agholor and learn what it takes to play the wide receiver position in this league. Injuries forced him into the lineup much earlier than the Eagles had hoped, and he wasn’t ready. He also had Carson Walch as a position coach who was abhorrent.

The catches he came down with were impressive though, and ideally, the Eagles envision him as being a replacement for Alshon Jeffery. Still, if the Eagles got a re-do on this pick, they might take someone who was able to contribute more quickly and more often in year one. D.K. Metcalf was still on the board when the Eagles picked Arcega-Whiteside. He was drafted just seven picks later by the Seahawks.

Metcalf was a late-riser in the draft process and was criticized due to a limited route tree. That didn’t happen as Metcalf collected 900 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 15.5 yards per catch. His measurables alone are impressive enough. It’s not too often that there is a six-foot-four, 229-pound wideout with a 40.5 inch vertical that can run a 4.33-second forty-yard dash.

Defenses have to pay special attention to what Metcalf brings to the table. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein gave him a 6.80 prospect grade and projected him as a year one quality starter before last year’s draft. On the other hand, J.J. received a 6.20 grade from Zierlein and was projected as a good backup who could potentially become a starter.

It’s still difficult to understand why the Eagles passed up on Metcalf or whether or not he would have struggled under Walch’s tutelage as well. His issues are fixable. On the other hand, J.J is far from a finished product and has time to grow and develop under new wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead, but it would have been nice to have D.K. on the roster seeing as how the Eagles didn’t have a single wide receiver over 500 yards in 2019.