Could the Philadelphia Eagles go from relying on one of the NFL's smallest veteran receivers to one of its biggest new ones?
Former Texas A&M star Mike Evans is visiting the club on Monday, just days after the Eagles released DeSean Jackson. That in itself doesn't put the Eagles any closer to drafting the 6-foot-5, 231-pound Evans, but the club can't help but have a stronger interest in one of the draft's elite receivers after cutting ties with Jackson.
If coach Chip Kelly were to be sold on Evans -- Kelly was at Evans' pro day workout last week to see him catch many of Johnny Manziel's 64 passes -- he'd probably have to trade up in the first round to get him. The Eagles hold the No. 22 overall pick in the draft, and Evans has been projected as high as a top-10 pick. In their most recent mock drafts, NFL Media analysts Daniel Jeremiah and Charles Davis project the Buffalo Bills to make Evans' wait a short one with the No. 9 pick.
Evans' visit to Philly was reported by PFT Live.
If Philadelphia did move to replace Jackson with its top pick, a more likely scenario might be to acquire LSU's Odell Beckham, USC's Marqise Lee, or Oregon State's Brandin Cooks with the No. 22 pick. Each of those receivers is much more likely than Evans to be available at the time and Davis lists them among the top draft fits for the Eagles at the position.
The undersized Jackson (5-10, 175) certainly left an oversized void in the Eagles' receiving corps. His 82-catch, 1,332-yard season in 2013 marked career highs in his sixth year in the league. That kind of production isn't easily replaced by any rookie, much less one pick later in the draft. Two other top receivers Kelly has personally witnessed at pro-day workouts include Vanderbilt's Jordan Matthews and Florida State's Kelvin Benjamin.
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