Philadelphia: It is always exciting to see where the future stars of the NFL end up and what type of impact they can make, the Philadelphia Eagles would just do that in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday night. This was the first NFL Draft to be held virtually because of what is going on with the CoronaVirus.
The Eagles would Draft WR Jalen Reagor from TCU with the 21st pick.
Following the Eagles drafting Jalen Reagor, Howie Roseman, Doug Pederson & Andy Weidl Spoke about the draft pick.
What was it about Jalen Reagor that stood out and made him the selection?
HOWIE ROSEMAN: I think for us, we looked at those options. It was important to us that certainly we kept our high picks. We haven’t had a lot of those. And guys really weren’t in a range where it was even in consideration that we could get somewhere without a really high pick. And then what we looked for, we were just trying to find the right fit for our football team. A lot of good players at that position and a lot of opinions about how good these players are.
You’re talking about really good players, and it’s just the fit. It’s how the coaches envision these guys being used and what they’re looking for to fit our quarterback skillset. So that was what we were trying to do, find the right fit for the Philadelphia Eagles and where we are as a football team, and be a complement to the other players we think we have on offense.
Will Jalen Reagor fit in the offense and make an impact Day 1?
DOUG PEDERSON: Obviously talking about the player, it was someone that we had looked at in the Draft. As Howie mentioned, there were a lot of really good receivers and some went before Jalen. This guy is going to come in, and before we start talking about assignments and roles, he has to come in and learn the system.
We’re in a strange time right now. We’re with a chance of not having an off-season and really getting into the playbook until possibly training camp will be the first time that we get our hands on these players.
We’re just excited about the player and getting him in our building when we can. We’re going to have some opportunity this spring, and then we’ll see where he best will fit into the offense and special teams.
How does Jalen Reagor skillset you liked that fits into the offense?
DOUG PEDERSON: Obviously number one was the speed. This guy, he can definitely stretch the field. His vertical for a 5’10”/5’11″ guy, he can elevate. He can get balls above the rim, as we say.
He has the flexibility of not only playing outside, but also playing inside and his flexibility as a special teams, punt return, and possible kickoff return guy. So this guy has multiple roles coming out of college, and we’re going to see where he best fits us when we — probably training camp before we make that decision.
Were there any thoughts of moving up?
HOWIE ROSEMAN: We’re very aggressive in working the phones and having these conversations with teams and trying to figure out where we can move and when we can move. It just has to work for both sides obviously, but we are also very comfortable sitting here and taking a player that has a great skillset for what we’re looking for.
Like Coach Pederson said, we knew there were a lot of talented receivers in this offense and there is a lot of different flavors, and this was the one we felt could really help our football team in multiple ways.
How was the Process in scouting the players with the facility shut down because of the CoronaVirus?
ANDY WEIDL: I think with Jalen, we had a formal interview with him at the combine and got to know him there. After that, we did video chats with him and spent time with him on FaceTime and whatnot.
He’s a guy we have a previous history with. Obviously, his father played here with the Eagles, and so it was a comfort level for us as a person.
HOWIE ROSEMAN: We try to get as many people with as many guys as possible through this process. I think even more guys were talking to these players than we normally have in this process because everyone had the time to go reach out. So a lot people are doing FaceTime interviews with Jalen, and really a lot of players in this Draft.
Thoughts of having DeSean Jackson & Jalen Reagor on the field at the same time?
DOUG PEDERSON: We have a lot of guys — it’s exciting. It’s appealing any time that we can get a player of this caliber when we did. And we have to get him — again, don’t misunderstand, we have to get him in our building, get him caught up.
We are very excited about this player, and obviously having DeSean and getting him back and keeping him healthy throughout the whole year and having a player of his caliber, along with Jalen on the field, I think it’s exciting.
And mix it in with our two tight ends, obviously our runners, and mixing it up a little bit with these guys. Our focus is to get him in the fold, get him going this spring when we can, get him in the playbook and get him caught up.
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