Philadelphia Eagles Hoping to Catch Encore Performance From Jeremy Maclin

When former Missouri WR Jeremy Maclin was available after the first 18 picks in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles knew they needed to make a move quickly to draft a player they never expected to be available late in the first round.

After a trade with the Cleveland Browns, the Eagles selected Maclin with the 19th overall pick in the draft.

There were high expectations for Maclin considering the type of career he had at Missouri with the Tigers. In just two years, he hauled in 182 receptions for 2,315 yards and 22 touchdowns.

If he could live up to his potential playing alongside wide receiver DeSean Jackson, the Eagles had every reason to believe quarterback Donovan McNabb would have enough weapons to become one of the top offenses in the NFL.

After a slow start the first three games of the season, Maclin finally had his breakout performance the Eagles and their fans have been waiting to see ever since the season started. Last weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs, Maclin recorded his first career touchdown in the NFL when he hauled in a 51-yard touchdown from McNabb—which coincidentally happened to be his first pass since coming back from a crack-ribbed injury that kept him sidelined since Week 1.

To add to his impressive first career touchdown, Maclin would later haul in a 40-yard touchdown in the final two minutes of the first half. Overall, he finished the game with six receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns. This was the type of player the city of Philadelphia was hoping for when the Eagles selected him last April.

If Maclin could perform this well on a weekly basis as a No. 2 wideout, the Eagles offense will have a huge advantage against opposing defenses for the rest of the season.

Hopefully, Maclin will find a way to have another strong performance this weekend when the Eagles head to Oakland to take on the Raiders, who have the 15th best passing defense in the NFL and arguably one of the best cornerbacks, Nnamdi Asomugha.

Maclin is expected to make the start Sunday since wide receiver Kevin Curtis is returning, but is still working his way back from a knee injury he’s been dealing with most of the season.

With the Raiders defense focusing on stopping Jackson, the Eagles have every reason to believe Maclin could have a strong encore performance after his breakout game against the Chiefs. And if he continues this trend for the remainder of the season, there’s plenty to be excited about in the City of Brotherly Love.

Dan Parzych Is the Eagles Fan Voice for NFLTouchdown.com