The Dawn Breaks: Maclin Signs to a Five-Year Deal

The Eagles drafted Maclin with the 19th pick in the NFL Draft.

Ripples were felt immediately, as the Eagles hadn’t used a first round pick on a wide receiver since “Fabulous” Freddie Mitchell in 2001 (whose best contribution to the team, along with "Fourth and 26," was his quote afterwards—“I’d like to thank God for giving me such great hands”).   

Maclin comes out of Missouri as a two-year All-American, who gained 2,833 all purpose yards this season—fifth most in NCAA history.

For those Eagles fans in need of a ray of sunshine on this gloomy day, here are a few other statistics from Maclin’s career to think about.

-  IIn his freshman year (2007), he caught 80 passes for 1,055 yards, nine touchdowns and had a 13.2 yards per catch average.

-   His sophomore year, he did himself one better, catching 102 passes for 1,260 yards and 13 touchdowns (with a 12.4 ypc).

-   In his two years at Missouri, he rushed the ball quite well, carrying 91 times for 668 yards and six TDs.

-   He broke 1,000 yards on kick returns both years at Missouri, scoring a touchdown each year; he also scored on three punt returns in his two years at school.

-   He set an NCAA freshman record in all purpose yards in 2007 with 2,776 yards…only to better himself with his sophomore campgain of 2,833 all purpose yards.

-   Maclin scored 33 touchdowns in his two seasons at Missouri.

-   He caught the game-winning pass in overtime this year in the Cotton Bowl against Northwestern, capping a comeback victory. 

The bottom line here is that the Eagles landed a hugely versatile player that some projected as a top-10 pick at No. 19. The kid knows how to play and how to perform on a big stage. 

However the Eagles want to use him—as a wideout, a Wildcat hybrid receiving-running back option, a reverse option (like the Eagles ran a number of times with Jackson last season, mostly resulting in a loss of yardage), a decoy or a kick/punt returner—Maclin will be expected to perform at a high level the minute he steps on the turf at Lehigh tomorrow. 

Maclin should give Donovan McNabb yet another versatile weapon to work with—and with Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy, and Desean Jackson lining up alongside Maclin, McNabb arguably has the ideal castmates for the West Coast offense run in Philadelphia.

For the Eagles, a team suffering from the loss of defensive coordinator Jim Johnson last week and now Bradley’s season-ending ACL tear, Maclin’s signing comes as a splash of brightness on an otherwise very cloudy day.