Nelson Agholor to Philadelphia Eagles: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

One of the most dramatic moments in Philadelphia Eagles draft history came and went quickly, as the Tennessee Titans rejected a massive trade proposal by Chip Kelly to select Heisman quarterback Marcus Mariota. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport (via NFL.com) reported the Eagles offered a trade package that included two first-round picks, a third-round pick, Sam Bradford, Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks and Brandon Boykin. 

It's baffling that any team coming off a 2-14 season would reject a trade offer that could likely provide stability for both general manager Ruston Webster and head coach Ken Whisenhunt. But the Titans did, and the Eagles will be deploying veteran Sam Bradford as their starting quarterback during the 2015 season. 

One of the biggest reasons for Bradford's failures in St. Louis was his lack of weapons on the offensive side of the ball. His best receiver, for example, was veteran Brandon Lloyd, who, except for one tremendous season in Denver in 2010, has been an adequate target for much of his career. 

Kelly clearly looked at his group of wide receivers and realized how much he needed an upgrade. With the Eagles' first-round selection, he pulled the trigger on former USC star receiver Nelson Agholor. 

Agholor, who stands 6'0" and weighs 198 pounds, possesses the exact same measurements as former Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin. Agholor ran a 4.42 in the 40-yard dash, and as a converted running back, he will likely line up from time to time in the backfield. 

The former teammate of current Eagles quarterback Matt Barkley will likely compete for the No. 2 or No. 3 spot at wide receiver heading into his rookie season. During his college career, the three-year standout receiver played both inside and outside. He caught 104 passes for 1,313 yards and 12 touchdowns during his senior year, earning first-team All-Pac 12 honors. 

The Eagles now have three receivers in Jordan Matthews, Josh Huff and Agholor who can play both inside and outside. My expectation is that Matthews will enter the season as the team's top receiver, with Huff on the other side of the field and Agholor mostly playing in the slot.

Riley Cooper, a disappointment since signing a $25 million deal before the 2014 season, projects as the likely fourth receiver, while the Eagles also have free-agent signings Miles Austin and Seyi Ajirotutu competing for playing time. 

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Michael Irvin compared Nelson Agholor to Randall Cobb. "He will make wonderful things happen on the football field." #EaglesDraft

— Eagles Insider (@EaglesInsider) May 1, 2015"

In Agholor, the Eagles also have a player with the ability to play on special teams. In both his sophomore and junior year, Agholor took back a pair of punts for touchdowns. He's a possible replacement for veteran Darren Sproles as the main punt returner within a couple of seasons. 

Kelly continues his trend of selecting players he's familiar with. The Eagles worked out Agholor at their facility twice. He feels like a safe pick, whereas potential draft target Byron Jones was deemed a high-risk, high-reward selection. 

In Kelly's high-powered offense, receivers tend to have tremendous amounts of success. DeSean Jackson turned in the most productive season of his career in 2013, catching 82 passes for 1,332 yards and nine touchdowns. Maclin assumed Jackson's role in 2014, recording 85 passes for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns. Matthews appears poised to take over the leading receiver role in 2015, whereas a fair projection for Agholor would be a similar stat line to Matthews' 2014 campaign (67-872-8). 

At the conclusion of the first round of the NFL draft, the main topic in Philadelphia will be Kelly's inability to trade for the quarterback he once compared to Peyton Manning and predicted would win multiple Super Bowls. But ignoring the Mariota trade attempt, the Eagles landed a safe player who should be an immediate contributor in Kelly's fast-paced offense in 2015.