@Spurt
Yeah, young wide receivers tend to need two to three years to figure out the NFL game. Most of the kids in college did well because they were fast or big. College defenses tend to play off coverage and assume the QB won't be accurate enough or strong-armed enough to hit the receiver deep. When the kids get to the pros they're now fighting big, strong, fast DB's at the line of scrimmage and that takes some getting used to.
A guy like the Eagles JJ Arcega-Whiteside who's big but not blindingly fast, and who's had to fight for balls all through his college days tends to transition easier than the pure speed guys like a John Ross. JJ has already mastered body control, boxing out defenders, forcing defenders playing press coverage to make a misstep, and then shielding them off the ball.
John Ross with his 4.2 speed had defenders already dropping away from him in college and played with a big cushion. Football's pretty easy playing that way. It's just pitch and catch. Then he got to the pros and the DB's weren't backing off twenty yards. They were in his face. They were shoving him around. They were clutching him, grabbing him, holding him, and just generally annoying the heck out of him and he'd never had to deal with that before.
A guy like Jerry Rice, among the best receivers ever to play the game, ran something like a 4.59 forty. (Some say 4.7.) The dude was slow by receiver standards, but he knew how to play football. Most of the kids coming out of college these days don't know how to play football. They've just outrun everyone else to get to the pros. When they have to learn how to catch a DB flat-footed, force him to spin, force him into a misstep, and position themselves for the ball, they're lost. The DB's just bully them for a few years as they learn how to play the right way. If they ever do.
JJ Arcega-Whiteside knows how to play football which made him a good pickup for the Eagles. He's not as fast as most of the rest of the receivers, but he'll likely be far more productive. The film on the kid is just amazing to watch. There's a game against Notre Dame where they put their best corner (Julian Love now a Giants fourth round pick) on him all game all over the field. JJ just schooled the guy. He had him spinning in circles. Breaking the wrong way. Caught him flatfooted. The DB was pretty much helpless against him. The ball didn't always go to JJ, but he had his guy just lost and confused. The refs could have called the DB for holding probably twenty times as that's all he could do after JJ fooled him. Even when he wasn't fooled, JJ shielded him away from the ball so he couldn't interfere with the catch.
Drafting kid receivers is a crapshoot. Sometimes the pure speed guys grow into great receivers. More often they don't. If you can find a kid who's already playing a pro-style game grab him regardless of his speed.
Older players always want a new deal. Trent Williams isn't unusual. Malcolm Jenkins of the Eagles is playing the same game. He's the ninth highest paid safety in the league right now, but he wants a new deal. Is he the ninth best safety in the league? Eh, tricky to answer. He still wants a new deal though.
Lamar Jackson's big thing is going to be staying healthy. If he stays healthy, he could have a big year.
I'm a believer in Baker Mayfield. The kid's got "it" whatever "it" is. It's some combination of pride, arrogance, ego, confidence, talent and more, but when you see a player with "it" you know it. Other players recognize it and play harder for the guy.
Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!
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