The NFL draft is coming up and some mocks have the Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and NY Jets targeting wide receivers like Mike Evans, Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Jordan Matthews, Cody Latimer and Allen Robinson and this comes after DeSean Jackson signed with the Washington Redskins this week.
The Eagles made the move on Jackson after dealing with antics for a number of years and he also was going to cost the team $30 million over the next three and now he will be a problem for the Washington Redskins. Chip Kelly did not want him around, clearly, and while the team brought back Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper, the Eagles still need depth at the position. Darren Sproles will help with receptions and making up for that production, but he is not the explosive player he once was and never was as good as Jackson and even if Kelly feels that the team is strong heading into next season, they will need to consider someone in the draft.
According to ESPN.com, the Eagles are looking at Mike Evans as a potential target and while they would have to trade up to get him from 22, that could be a move worth making based on his production. Last season Jackson had 82 receptions, 1,332 yards and nine touchdowns for his best professional season and someone will have to make that up and Evans could be the pick after he caught 69 balls last season and AVERAGED 20 yards per catch with Johnny Manziel throwing to him. Many teams want Evans and the 49ers have been mentioned as someone that could trade up for him, but watch out for the Eagles doing the same.
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Evans could be an option for teams in the top 10, but most expect him to go from picks 10 to 15 and that includes a team like the Giants, who will be looking to replace Hakeem Nicks in the offense. Evans had some monster numbers last season and his size at 6-foot-5, 225-pounds should translate well to the league. Last year he had 287 yards receiving against Auburn and 279 against Alabama and those were the two biggest games of the seasons and he also set the Aggie record for receiving yards.
The Seahawks reportedly are also looking at wide receivers and names like Allen Robinson, Kelvin Benjamin, Jordan Matthews and Cody Latimer could be available when the team picks at the end of the first round. The Seahawks have interest in Latimer and he ran a 4.39-second 40 and they like that speed and he had some great numbers after going for 72 catches for 1,096 yards and nine touchdowns last year. Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry are getting high marks from scouts and along with Marqise Lee they could be middle round picks for a team like the Jets or the Eagles if they sit tight at their pick.
Many draft experts see the 49ers as an option to trade up for Sammy Watkins, as they have 11 draft picks and a need at wide receiver, but they could look at the position as well later in the draft. The WR class is very deep this season and if they miss on Watkins, his teammate in Clemson's Martavis Bryant could be the pick, as he has great size and good hands.
