How Nelson Agholor Makes Eagles Offense Even Tougher to Stop

Regardless of what happens from here, the Philadelphia Eagles are always going to remember the 2015 NFL draft.

It was Chip Kelly's first draft with complete control. Control that he appeared to make every attempt to exercise in a trade up for the second overall pick. That second overall pick would have been invested in his former quarterback at the college level, Marcus Mariota.

Kelly's failure to acquire Mariota has left him with Sam Bradford as his starting quarterback, while the ex-Oregon passer is now the franchise quarterback of the Tennessee Titans.

If Mariota becomes a star for the Titans and Bradford falters in Philadelphia, the storyline will forever be about what could have been. If Bradford stars in Philadelphia but Mariota falters in Tennessee, the opposite will be true.

Both quarterbacks could completely fail, but the chances are that if Mariota fails in Tennessee, Kelly will do everything he can to pick him up in Philadelphia.

Any non-Mariota selection for the Eagles was always going to be received as somewhat of an anticlimax. Yet, even while considering that, Kelly was still able to acquire a player who could prove to be a pivotal piece for his offense moving forward.

With the 20th overall pick in the draft, Kelly selected Nelson Agholor. Agholor played three seasons at USC, catching 178 passes for 2,572 yards and 20 touchdowns. A majority of his production came during his final season, as he compiled 1,313 yards and 12 touchdowns on 104 receptions.

Even though Amari Cooper, Kevin White and DeVante Parker were selected ahead of Agholor, it's not difficult to argue that Agholor is every bit as talented a prospect as those players.

At USC, he proved to be a very explosive and versatile player who could beat defensive backs in different ways. He could comfortably line up in the slot or out wide to create and find space with his movement or win at the catch point with his ball skills.

Agholor boasts the kind of talent that could make him a star in the league. He should immediately start for the Eagles.

Credit: Draftbreakdown.com

While he isn't as fast as DeSean Jackson, Agholor comes closer to replicating that kind of element of his offense than anyone else currently on the roster. He can be a home run hitting receiver who will sprint away from defensive backs whether he has the ball or not.

Jackson's speed was valuable to the Eagles offense in different ways, and it has never truly been replaced.

Although Agholor can't replace it as a like-for-like receiver, he offers more than just speed at the position. He is both bigger and stronger than Jackson, with enough power to break tackles on a consistent basis. This makes him a dangerous yards-after-catch receiver on quick throws underneath.

Credit: Draftbreakdown.com

Credit: Draftbreakdown.com

The Eagles should be aggressive in their attempts to get the ball in Agholor's hands on these types of plays from the first game of his career in Philadelphia. Even against NFL defensive backs, his combination of quickness and strength will prove to be problematic.

The Eagles make it a point to search for easy production, and that is exactly what Agholor offers them. His explosiveness with the ball isn't solely limited to underneath throws or gadget type plays.

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Agholor's speed through everything he does is very impressive. This isn't a very difficult route, but it is a play that highlights how easily he glides over space early before exploding through the potential tackler with his power.

This kind of physical talent permeates through everything that he does.

Of course, it's important to be more than just explosive. There are plenty of explosive players in the league who can be effective on screen passes or with the ball in their hands, but that's not the same as being an effective receiver.

Agholor could be the next Cordarrelle Patterson, a receiver who has all the physical talent but doesn't know how to use it to get open, but that seems very unlikely.

Credit: Draftbreakdown.com

Credit: Draftbreakdown.com

One of Agholor's most impressive traits is his ability to run routes. He is an aggressive, decisive cutter with the foot quickness and balance to explode through his breaks. His balance is outstanding, allowing him to take advantage of any false movements from defenders attempting to cover him.

Agholor didn't get regular opportunities to beat press coverage in college, but he has all the traits to suggest that he should comfortably do that in the NFL.

Much of Agholor's best work in college came when he worked from the slot or in a bunch. While he excels in that role, he is not confined to it. That is important for the Eagles because they have Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff in position to be regular contributors this season.

Matthews was the team's slot receiver last year, but he could move to the outside now that Jeremy Maclin is with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Eagles can't be certain that Matthews will be effective working the outside, because most of his production appeared to come last year when he was schemed open from the slot. If Matthews can't transition to the outside, the the Eagles will need someone to play across from Riley Cooper.

Keeping Cooper in the starting lineup isn't ideal, so the Eagles may be hoping that Matthews can be effective outside while still keeping Agholor outside.

This would give Huff an opportunity to play the slot, something that he should do to great effect. With Agholor, Huff and Matthews on the field together, the Eagles would be able to change up their alignments on a regular basis.

The Eagles desperately needed to add an explosive and versatile receiver to their group of pass-catchers. One of Sam Bradford's best traits is his ability to push the ball down the field.

With the St. Louis Rams, that trait was often wasted because the Rams never gave him viable downfield receivers. Agholor should be able to act as that piece for the Eagles and help the offense as a whole get the most out of its new quarterback.