Can Nelson Agholor fill Jeremy Maclin’s shoes right away?
The departure of Jeremy Maclin from Philadelphia meant that the Eagles were in the market for a new receiver. They selected rookie wide receiver, Nelson Agholor, in the first round of this year’s draft to replace Maclin and here is why you should draft him too.
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Similarities
Measuring six feet and 198 pounds, Agholor is physically identical to Maclin. The two receivers are also remarkably similar in other categories such as the 40-yard dash, where Maclin ran a 4.45 and Agholor ran a 4.42. The 10-yard split, where Maclin ran a 1.58 with Agholor running a 1.59, and the 20-yard split, where Maclin ran a 2.62 and Agholor ran a 2.59. Maclin jumped a 35.5-inch vertical and had a 10-foot broad jump, while Agholor jumped 36.5-inch vertical and had a 10-foot five-inch broad jump.
At USC in 2014, Agholor caught 104 passes for 1,313 yards and 12 touchdowns. With the Eagles, Maclin caught fewer passes, 85, for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns. Agholor was a good example of the best player available who fit the system in Philadelphia. In other words, he should move right into a starting spot and pick up right where Maclin left off, if not improve.
Moments after drafting Agholor, Eagles coach Chip Kelly said, “They’re a little bit different, I think Maclin is more of an outside receiver – a really, really good outside, down-the-line receiver. I think Nelson is an inside-outside guy. Size-wise, they are almost identical.”
Opportunity
An anonymous NFL executive told the Newark Star-Ledger that Agholor would have an immediate impact in Kelly’s offense. “He’ll come in and produce right away, he has a great approach. And in that offense, he’ll put up numbers.” the source said. Agholor saw time on the outside and in the slot at OTAs. He is expected to get the majority of his snaps as Maclin’s replacement at Z receiver.
Riley Cooper, Jordan Matthews, Josh Huff, Miles Austin and Seyi Ajirotutu, along with Agholor, are the top receivers on the current roster. Only Matthews had more than 55 catches, 800 yards and at least eight touchdowns the previous season.
In 2014, Maclin played 87 percent of offensive snaps. Cooper, who is mostly used as a blocker, was on the field 81 percent of the time. Matthews, the rookie slot receiver, played 65 percent of the time. After that, it dropped to 18 percent with Huff. Apart from Maclin, Matthews was the only Eagles receiver to get targeted over 100 times during the 2014 season. This leaves an incredible opportunity for Agholor to receive a large quantity of looks throughout the season.
Conclusion
Nelson Agholor has walked into one of the best offenses in the NFL and isn’t alone. He goes into an offense with DeMarco Murray in the backfield and a solid wide receiver on the opposite side of him in Jordan Matthews. He can step in and put up big numbers without all of the pressure being put on him.
Agholor is in position to rival Amari Cooper as this year’s top re-draft option as a rookie and is expected to be a top-four wide receiver in dynasty league rookie drafts. He currently has an ADP of 92nd overall (35th in receivers) and is being drafted behind other receivers such as Eric Decker and Mike Wallace, who haven’t been the most consistent fantasy performers.
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Nathan Holmes is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Nathan, check out his archive and follow him @TheNathanHolmes.
