Getty Jalen Reagor #18 of the TCU Horned Frogs scored a touchdown against Jameson Houston #11 of the Baylor Bears in the second half at Amon G. Carter Stadium on November 24, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Eagles had been in touch with Jalen Reagor “every other week” during the NFL Draft process. It was pretty clear he was at the top of their wish list.
Reagor, the human highlight-reel film who went to Philly at pick No. 21, may not have gotten the same hype as some of his draft classmates. Guys like Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb seemed to have better publicists.
But those receivers were no longer on the board when the Eagles were on the clock. No matter. The 5-foot-11, 194-pounder was the playmaker that GM Howie Roseman wanted and he wasn’t going to let him slip away.
“When you looked at this guy, it was hard to find outside speed receivers in this draft,” Roseman said. “Obviously, a guy went really high who has explosiveness and speed. And just talking to a couple teams here on the phone after we made the pick, he was going to go.”
The nay-sayers are already saying the Eagles made a mistake. Why didn’t they trade up for Lamb or Jeudy? Reagor has no doubt heard it. He just isn’t in the business of making those comparisons.
“I don’t look to match myself up against anyone, to be honest. I’m just going to be the best pro I can and continue to elevate my game,” Reagor said. “So I don’t look to match up against any of those guys or compare stats or do any of that. I’m just looking to be the best pro I can because ultimately I’m the one wearing the Eagles jersey.”
We got ourselves a baller in @jalenreagor.
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Reagor Ready to Play with ‘Amazing’ Carson Wentz
Jalen Reagor never had consistent quarterback play in college. The burner from TCU played with three different signal-callers in 2019, including a true freshman, and six different quarterbacks over his three-year career. That’s a huge amount of turnover for a young player trying to learn an offense.
According to Pro Football Focus, only 61.4-percent of Reagor’s targets were considered to be catchable passes. He still racked up 148 catches for 2,248 yards and 22 touchdowns in three years at TCU. Now he gets to team up with one of the most talented quarterbacks in football, Carson Wentz.
TCU WR Jalen Reagor saw a catchable pass on just 61.4% of targets.
That ranked 118th among 120 wideouts.
“I mean, it’s Carson Wentz. I feel like his name speaks for itself,” Reagor said. “And just the fact that I get to be alongside those guys now. It’s just a surreal feeling. Like, I watched Carson Wentz. I watched him play. I’m like, ‘Wow, this dude is amazing,’ and now he’s my quarterback. So, it’s just, like I said, a surreal feeling, and ultimately, it’s a blessing.”
Wentz has been begging for playmakers at the receiver position since 2016. Needless to say, he was overjoyed to hear Reagor’s name called on draft day. Wentz wrote: “Big things comin!”
Virtual Pro Day Versus NFL Scouting Combine
Hungry dogs run faster, right? So the fact that Jalen Reagor’s 40-time was way slower than everyone expected might not be a good sign. Especially since he’s supposed to be the second coming of DeSean Jackson, with a game wholly predicated on speed. Reagor tried to alleviate those concerns on draft night.
He came into the NFL Scouting Combine at a “heavy” weight, hovering around 206 pounds. He has dropped nearly 12 pounds since and claims his 40-time has dropped from 4.47 seconds to 4.22 seconds.
“I mean, I posted another time, too that I ran in my virtual pro day. I was heavy at the Combine. I picked up weight,” Reagor said. “I dropped weight and I ran 4.2. So all I have to say, man, like coaches tell me, like tape doesn’t lie. So I mean, whether it’s a 4.47, 4.28, whatever it was, I’m ready to play fast; I’m ready to make plays for the Philadelphia Eagles.”
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