Jalen Reagor is “by no means” on the same level as Julio Jones, according to his quarterback, although the potential is there.
Carson Wentz addressed the recent comparison he made between the two wide receivers on Sunday, four days after Reagor revealed the juxtaposition in off-the-cuff comments to the media.
“First of all, Julio, I think he’s the best. One of the best at the very least,” Wentz told reporters on Sunday. “By no means am I saying a rookie is as good as Julio Jones right now.”
#Eagles WR Jalen Reagor says Carson Wentz compared him to Julio Jones, called him “explosive” and told him he can do anything some of the best receivers in the NFL can do. They have been watching a lot of film together and building a strong relationship. #FlyEaglesFly
The Eagles signal-caller stressed that Reagor had a long way to go to get in that conversation, but he sees a lot of similarities in regard to Reagor’s route running, speed and power.
“Just the way that Jalen, his combination of speed and power, remind me of Julio,” Wentz said. “I see some similarities on how they run routes and I think there is a lot to learn from a guy like Julio. And I challenged Jalen to kind of dissect his game and try to model it to some extent.”
Watch live as Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz speak to the media.
Again, Wentz wanted to be crystal clear: Jones is one of the NFL’s top pass-catchers, an elite talent. And Reagor isn’t at that level yet.
“In my opinion, there’s no better guy than Julio to model your game after. One of the best receivers in the game right now,” Wentz said. “So by no means is he [Reagor] at that level. I would never say that to a guy like Julio. It’s really a feather in the cap to Julio because of his greatness. What I see in the potential for Jalen to be, the way he moves and really runs routes. His explosiveness that he brings to the table.”
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Reagor Draws Shocking Comparison to Falcons WR
The hype train on Jalen Reagor hit a new gear on Tuesday when an off-the-cuff remark comparing the first-round pick to Jones was attributed to Carson Wentz. The Eagles quarterback has been spending a lot of time in the film room with Reagor as the two build chemistry.
The two have hit it off magically. And Wentz can already see a tiny resemblance to Jones, per Reagor. (Here are some measurables for comparison’s sake: Jones: 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, 4.39 40-time; Reagor: 5-foot-11, 206 pounds, 4.47 40-time.)
Julio Jones’ Top 11 Games (cont’d)
#4
2015 Week 1 vs. Philadelphia
PFF Grade: 96.8
9 catches, 141 yds, 2 TDs
Perfect QB rating when targeted!
Highlights : t.co/6wtDqBROM5
(Jason Getz, USA Today Sports)
“We watch a lot of clips, go over our routes and stuff like that,” Reagor told reporters. “He’s always like you’re explosive like Julio [Jones], you can run fast, you can jump high … so he compared me to a lot of different guys.”
When asked to elaborate on the “different guys,” Reagor backtracked ever so slightly. He was speaking in general terms about Wentz’s comparisons and threw Jones’ name out there as an example. Wentz’s point was that the burner from Texas Christian has the ability to run any pattern in the route tree, thanks to his explosiveness, attention to detail and down-the-field presence.
Julio Jones career grade by @PFF is 94.7.
That is the highest among NFL WRs since 2006.
“He doesn’t really name anyone specific,” Reagor said. “He’ll just say, you can run routes like that, you can run those routes. So he hasn’t really said anyone specific but I’m sure he has things in mind that you guys [reporters] can ask him. But, you know, he said I’m explosive and I’m fast, a game-changer. There’s a lot of explosive, fast, game-changers in this league.”
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Carson Wentz Explains Comparing Eagles Rookie WR to Julio Jones