Ranking every first-round WR taken by Philadelphia Eagles in team history

19th-overall selection, 2009

Andy Reid made a name for himself as the Eagles head coach by normally selecting a defensive lineman or an offensive lineman in the first round of most of Philadelphia’s drafts he was in charge of, so for him to do something out of the box like taking a wide receiver, that guy had to be pretty special.

Jeremy Maclin definitely qualifies. His final season in Philly was one that earned him a Pro Bowl nod (2014). Then, Chip Kelly did what he was known for doing, getting rid of the better Eagles while they were still productive, but that’s another story for another day.

Kelly’s indiscretions didn’t stop Maclin from posting 353 receptions for 4,990 receiving yards and 37 touchdowns in an Eagles jersey. Those numbers include 77 career games with 75 career starts (including the playoffs). He would have been successful in any era of Eagles football. Just ask the man who’s seen the team play live more than anyone we know.

Merrill Reese has been the voice of Eagles football on the radio since 1977. He said recently that the best wide receiver trio he’s seen is Maclin, Jason Avant, and DeSean Jackson. Here’s a direct quote if you need to see it.

"In my opinion, the best Eagles wide receiver trio ever was DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Jason Avant. There were some other outstanding pairs but no Eagles team had three of that caliber."

If Reese said it, we can put money on it, but Maclin comes in second to someone else the voice of Eagles football knows pretty well.