Philadelphia's signing of Tim Tebow is grabbing all the headlines, but the Eagles still are doing their draft prep work, too, and have Miami wide receiver Phillip Dorsett in for a visit.
Nationalfootballpost.com reported on the visit for Dorsett, who is one of the fastest players in the draft. He ran a 4.33 40 at the combine, then improved that to an unofficial 4.25 at his recent pro day.
That speed appeals to every team, and the Eagles should be especially enticed. They do not have a proven deep threat, and their wide receiver corps as a whole lacks depth. As it stands now, the Eagles' top four receivers appear to be Miles Austin, Riley Cooper, Josh Huff and Jordan Matthews. Is there a true No. 1 receiver in that group? Can Dorsett be a No. 1?
Dorsett (5-foot-9 3/4, 185 pounds) lacks size, and there is concern from some that he will be effective only from the slot. He missed five games in 2013 with a MCL injury and finished his career with 121 receptions and 17 TDs; 10 of the TDs came in 2014, when he averaged 24.2 yards per catch on his 36 receptions.
The Eagles pick 20th overall, and that seems a bit early for Dorsett, who is considered a fringe first-rounder. But one of the more intriguing storylines of the draft is whether there will be a run on wide receivers in the first round -- and if there is, when will it start. Alabama's Amari Cooper, Louisville's DeVante Parker and West Virginia's Kevin White are lock first-rounders. Dorsett, USC's Nelson Agholor, Arizona State's Jaelen Strong, Oklahoma's Dorial Green-Beckham and UCF's Breshad Perriman are receivers who potentially could go in the first round.
Dorsett, who will be an in-studio guest on NFL Network's "Path to the Draft" and "NFL Total Access" on Friday, ranks 48th on NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah's list of the top 50 players.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
