Getty Julio Jones #11 of the Atlanta Falcons.
Julio Jones is arguably the best receiver in football. He’s electric with the ball in his hands, like a certain Eagles rookie.
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.)
“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.
#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
“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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Wentz Really Excited About Reagor’s Explosiveness
Reagor has been manning the X position during “live” padded practices while cross-training at the other receiver spots. The original plan was for Reagor to shadow DeSean Jackson but a lower-body injury to J.J. Arcega-Whiteside has opened up a spot with the first-team offense. The 21-year-old has stepped right in and quickly earned the trust of his quarterback.
“Having Jalen has been a lot of fun, just to work with him,” Wentz said. “He’s an explosive athlete. You can see that with his route-running ability, with his down-the-field presence. I mean you turn on his game tape. I know what he brings as a threat to the defense and I know he’s really picked up on things really well, always listening and always curious about why we’re doing certain things a certain way.”
Jalen Reagor had a drop in production last year playing with true freshman QB at TCU
@pff says he had the 4th lowest % of accurate passes thrown in his direction in all of college football last year
Reagor never really had consistent play at the quarterback position in college, so teaming up with a guy of Wentz’s ilk could have been intimidating. Not for the son of a former football player whose dad, Montae, played nine seasons in the NFL. The younger Reagor isn’t star-struck or overwhelmed by the expectations.
“It’s not a problem at all,” Reagor said. “I’m taking it all in and getting better every day. I want to live up to the expectations and make sure I work hard and show them I’m here to learn and ultimately just help this team.”
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