Fans of the Philadelphia Eagles will be happy to hear that an NFL scout for a rival franchise believes that recent first-round pick, wide receiver Nelson Agholor, is very much a keeper. In fact, the scout, speaking to Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News, even went so far as to favorably compare Agholor, the former USC standout who has yet to take the field for a professional snap, against recently departed de facto No. 1 Eagle wideout, Jeremy Maclin.
"Agholor is electric as soon as the ball touches his hands," the scout said. "In my mind, he's better - or at least soon will be better - than [Jeremy] Maclin. I don't know if his hands are as good as Maclin's. But as soon as Agholor touches the ball, he is electric in what he can do with it after the catch. He just has a knack for avoiding what's coming at him. He almost always makes that first guy miss."
One of the biggest attributes Agholor was said to possess that likely drew Kelly to him was his ability to rack up run after the catch yards. Maclin, who set career-highs in receptions (85) and receiving yards (1,318) and matched his career-best in touchdowns (10) in 2014, operating as the big-play threat in Kelly's offense, never seemed able to translate the elusiveness he displayed in college while at Missouri to the NFL. Yes, he is supremely talented and runs precise routes, but it seems Kelly covets different aspects at the outside receiver spots.
Josh Huff, the Eagles third-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, has been seeing a lot of time on the outside thus far in his second professional preseason. He, like Agholor, seems to possess a specific blend of athleticism and elusiveness.
Of course, considering Maclin has five seasons of high-quality NFL production to his name, it's probably a little early to be suggesting that Agholor can and, further, likely will eclipse him.
Still, there's no denying that Agholor is probably a better fit for Kelly's scheme and that he has the talent to make an impact on the Eagles offense from NFL Day One.
