The Philadelphia Eagles moved up 12 spots (from 54 to 42) in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, to take Vanderbilt WR Jordan Matthews.
With the release of DeSean Jackson, wide receiver was an obvious position of need for the Eagles heading into the draft. Matthews will step into a receiving core led by the unproven Riley Cooper, and Jeremy Maclin, who is coming off of an ACL tear. He will likely get plenty of opportunity in Chip Kelly’s spread offense.
Matthews is a talented player who seemed to get lost in the shuffle of this deep WR class. He was a first-team All-American last season when he hauled in 112 receptions for 1,477 yards, and seven touchdowns. At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Matthews has ideal size for the position. Matthews played many different WR postions at Vanderbilt, showing impressive versatility. That versatility will be huge in the Eagles' offense, and was likely a big reason why they targeted him early in the second round. He is also a very tough and hard-working player who is not afraid to go over the middle. On top of all that, Matthews has impressive hands, catching almost everything thrown his way in college.
While there are certainly faster receivers on the board, Matthews’ 4.46 40-yard dash at the combine was impressive for a man of his size. He does not have the elite raw skills like some of the other receivers in this class, but Matthews is a solid and consistent player who will become a key member of the Eagles’ offense.
This was a safe pick made by Philadelphia that filled a position of need, and even has some upside.