We've felt like this for a while. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are the NFL's best one-two punch at wide receiver. Yes, we considered the guys in Miami and Cincinnati before saying that.
We said what we said. If you don't like the theory, stand in line. People get ticked about what we say on occasion. Still, we'd take our dynamic duo over anyone and wouldn't consider trading them away for anything. That's a promise.
We also like Jahan Dotson! He can ball. He won't get a ton of opportunities in this offense. At best, he was the fifth option in the aerial attack last season, and that may not change as Philly continues with the roster construction as it is.
Here's the thing about Philly's corps. Once you get past those three, there isn't much to get excited about. Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith... They're still young, but they have left much to be desired. That begs the question. Might the Birds explore options in the coming NFL Draft?
Sure, other positional needs are more pressing, but we wouldn't be opposed to seeing our guys take a wideout with one of their eight draft picks. Don't worry. We'll revisit this topic often between now and the end of April.
Seeing the Eagles draft a wide receiver is well within the realm of possibility.
We're well into the new league year now. Philly suffered significant losses from the roster but made key additions. Most of those were done by taking the less-expensive routes in free agency. There's still work to do, and trust us on this. The Birds certainly are far from done.
Much of this offseason's roster construction will be done in Green Bay at the 2025 NFL Draft. Philly's most pressing needs are acquiring an edge rusher, finding Lane Johnson's eventual replacement, and adding depth to the offensive line and secondary.
As you can see by our earlier statements, help at wideout is also necessary. As mentioned, if we were in Howie Roseman and his staff's shoes (which we are not), we'd address more pressing needs first and maybe consider the skill positions later.
Ranking realistic Eagles draft options at wide receiver
Adding more elite skill players to an already powerful offense would be nice. Philly's other needs (edge rusher, O-line, and a defensive tackle to replace Milton Williams) probably outweigh their need to fill out the bottom half of the wide receiver depth chart.
That said, the top guys in the class at the position are probably out of the question. We recently read a theory where Philly exhausts the 32nd pick on Missouri's Luther Burden III, but that seems highly unlikely. He probably won't be an Eagle, nor will the other top ten pass catchers in the 2025 draft class.
That means we can, more than likely, forget about Burden, Tetairoa McMillan, Emeka Egbuka, Matthew Golden, Elic Ayomanor, Jack Bech, Jayden Higgins, Xavier Restrepo, Tre Harris, and Jaylin Noel. Pro Football Focus ranks those guys as the top ten WRs on their 2025 Big Board.
PFF also grades those guys as the 3rd, 14th, 19th, 22nd, 35th, 38th, 49th, 54th, 81st, and 86th-best prospects on their board overall. Sure, that's subjective, and we can disagree about how they should be graded, but that's a nice list with some talented future NFL stars. We won't spend time here trying to vote guys off the island.
So, once we began mulling all of this over, we thought about the guys who fall in the next ten, WRs 11-20. Those are the guys we mentioned as the realistic options to land with Philly.
PFF had their ranking. We juggled a few names, but kept most among our list of ten. Here are the most realistic wide receiver options to land with the Eagles.
We're thinking they'll hear their names called sometime around Day 3 of the coming selection meeting.
1. Tez Johnson, Oregon Ducks
2. Savion Williams, TCU Horned Frogs
Philly has tried everything they could to find a big target who can create mismatches. Savion Williams may already be what the Birds hoped they'd find in Tyree Jackson and, more recently, Johnny Wilson.
In addition to 60 receptions for 611 yards and six TDs through the air, he contributed 322 yards on the ground, a 6.3 yards-per-carry average, and six rushing TDs. This dude is a player and will make his new team very happy.
3. Jalen Royals, Utah State Aggies
Versatility at the pro level is always a plus, and Jalen Royals can line up anywhere. He hasn't displayed otherworldly forms of athleticism, but he's a solid possession receiver. He's sort of like a new-school Jason Avant with some ability to create after the catch.
4. Isaiah Bond, Texas Longhorns
Isaiah Bond has world-class speed, that type of speed that stretches NFL playing fields, He'll need to become better at all of the subtle nuances that come with playing wideout at the professional level. Otherwise, he becomes a guy only needed for vertical routes or, at his worst, Quez Watkins with better hands.
Some he can be a first or second-round draftee. Others believe his limitations will make him available on Day 3.
5. Nick Nash, San Jose State Spartans
Here's a big slot receiver who runs routes well and can beat most of his competition off the line of scrimmage. Nick Nash is one of the more experienced guys here, playing in 55 games that spanned six NCAA seasons, but its hard to argue with the production: 104 receptions, 1,382 yards receiving, and 16 TDs in 2024.
Yep! That and a six-foot-three frame will get you noticed!
6. Bru McCoy, Tennessee Volunteers
Bru McCoy's career stats aren't overwhelming, but he has spent time behind more experienced receivers on the Volunteers depth chart. Since transferring from USC after his freshman campaign, he has gone on to tally 108 receptions, 1,356 yards receiving, and seven TDs over three seasons in the mighty SEC.
7. KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Auburn Tigers
This might be a quality number three receiver in the NFL who, dare we say, may already be on par with the likes on Jahan Dotson. The jury is still out on that one. We'll get back to you.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith notched 50 receptions for 981 yards and eight TDs in 2024. He stands at six-foot-one. He tips the scales at 190 pounds.
8. Kaden Prather, Maryland Terrapins
Kaden Prather seemed more explosive for Maryland in 2023 than he was in 2024. He's another of those big-bodied receivers the Birds seem to fall in love with, standing at six-foot-three and weighing in at 204 pounds.
He caught 56 passes for 624 yards and reached the end zone four times last season. We've spent our time wondering how he'd fare with better players throwing him the football.
9. Pat Bryant, Illinois Fighting Illini
Pat Bryant is a gritty talent who lacks the skill set to be an immediate star, but he could develop with coaching. He has the frame (six-foot-three and 200 pounds). He has good hands. He blocks well and is willing to do the dirty work. He isn't fast, but he could be someone worth taking a flier on.
10. Kyle Williams, Washington State Cougars
We place Williams behind Bryant for no other reason than we like Bryant's physicality a tad more than Williams' shiftiness. We also feel Bryant played better competition in the Big Ten conference.
Williams did what he should have done though, beat up on lesser competition. In his final season at the collegiate level, he notched 70 receptions, 1.198 yards receiving, and 14 trips to the end zone. This is probably a Day 3 draftee who will surprise most once given his opportunity. We see a better version of Ainias Smith when we look at him.
Just a thought: Kyren Lacey, LSU Tigers
We've been curious about this guy for a few months. The dreaded 'character concerns' label has been heaped on Kyren Lacy thanks to an arrest at the close of the season. He dropped a lot of passes too. That didn't help his case, but if you're wondering, these types of investigations are actually why Big Dom DiSandro is employed.
If Dom says don't let him around the building, Philly shouldn't, but he might be someone who can go undrafted and find his way to Philly on the UDFA circuit.