Now that DeSean Jackson is officially a member of the Redskins, one of the questions to ponder is what the Eagles will do to replace his production in their offense.
The arrival of Darren Sproles in a trade with the Saints and the return of Jeremy Maclin from a torn ACL should both be part of the plan, but the team will also have a chance to address the receiver position during the draft. Adam Caplan of ESPN reports that Texas A&M’s Mike Evans is on the radar, although Philly would likely have to trade up to land him, along with Oregon State’s Brandin Cooks.
At 5-10 and 189 pounds, Cooks has a similar frame to Jackson and he’s expected to come off the board somewhere around the 22nd overall pick owned by the Eagles. Should Philly decide to go in that direction, Cooks says they’ll be getting what they lost in Jackson and more.
“His game is unbelievable,” Cooks said, via Jimmy Kempski of Philly.com. “The man can blow the top off, catch the deep routes, catch the underneath routes, produce in the return game. He’s just special. He’s a freak. I definitely admire his game. Maybe Chip Kelly is looking to take another speedy receiver in that first round, and that could be me. Who knows? And if that’s the case, a lot of people will wonder ‘Can he do it like DeSean Jackson?’ In my opinion, I can do it like him and do it better.”
Clemson’s Sammy Watkins is widely regarded as the top receiver in the draft with Evans also expected to go early in the first round. Cooks, USC’s Marqise Lee and LSU’s Odell Beckham are the next three receivers on most lists and the Eagles should have a chance to grab one of them to help fill the void left by Jackson once May rolls around.