Patrick Causey, on Twitter @PhillySportsJD
I am the self-appointed President of the Nelson Agholor Fan Club. I lobbied for the Eagles to draft Agholor shamelessly leading up to the draft. And was probably a little too excited after he fell to the Eagles in the first round.
My undying appreciation for the USC product only grew stronger when word got out that Agholor was taking a cab to the Eagles facility to get to practice early, instead of taking the free rookie shuttle provided by the team. #Culture.
I also had a well-established man crush on Jordan Matthews last year (seeing a pattern yet?). So it should come as no surprise that the two are basically best friends now.
Per PhiladelphiaEagles.com, Matthews and Agholor have become fast friends:
"Me and Nelson, we're like twins almost. He jumps right in with me and Josh (Huff) … The dude is one of the most explosive guys on the team already. So his work ethic speaks for itself, so I think we're real compatible. I love spending time with the guy, not just here but also outside of football. Great personality, I know the city's going to love him. I just can't wait to continue to get to work with him and see what he can do on the field."
Agholor shared similar praise for Matthews: "He's like a brother already," Agholor said of Matthews. "He's a great guy. He's been really good to me about embracing me on this team and working with me on all the things he does."
It is safe to say that Matthews and Agholor are cut from the same cloth. While Agholor and Matthews are different players, they share a lot of similarities. Both guys are known for their work ethics, precise route running, and good playmaking ability.
It might be unreasonable to expect Agholor to match Matthews' production from last season. Indeed, Agholor could be fourth on the Eagles depth chart if Matthews, Josh Huff and Riley Cooper have anything to say about it.
Then again, Agholor is such a dynamic threat, that it is safe to assume the Eagles will finds ways for him to impact the game. That is especially true in the return game, where Agholor showed considerable promise in college.
Do not be surprised if Agholor takes a few weeks to get acclimated to the speed of the NFL before he starts making an impact. But it says here that by week six, Agholor will be too good for the coaches to keep on the sidelines. And if my other prediction about the Eagles receiving corp is true — that Josh Huff is going to be a break out player for the Birds — then the trio of Agholor, Matthews and Huff should give Eagles fans plenty to be excited about for the foreseeable future.
Now if we can just find a healthy (and competent) quarterback to throw them the ball…
