The Philadelphia Eagles appear to need a wide receiver as much as any team in the league, and LSU star Odell Beckham Jr. will be meeting with the Eagles this week.
Beckham (5-foot-11, 198 pounds) told Sirius XM that he would be meeting with the Eagles, the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets this week. The Eagles pick 22nd, four spots behind the receiver-needy Jets and three spots behind the Dolphins, who would seem to need an offensive lineman more than a wide receiver in the first round.
Eagles officials have spent a lot of time vetting wide receiver prospects; the team has visited with Florida State's Kelvin Benjamin, Rutgers' Brandon Coleman, Texas A&M's Mike Evans, Indiana's Cody Latimer and USC's Marqise Lee and also have been connected to Oregon State's Brandin Cooks and Penn State's Allen Robinson. Evans almost certainly will be gone by the time pick 22 rolls around. Beckham, Cooks and Lee also seem to be first-round locks, while Benjamin and maybe even the fast-rising Latimer could go in the first round. An interesting question, especially for the Eagles, is whether Beckham will be there at No. 22.
DeSean Jackson left Philadelphia, which means the Eagles need a new go-to receiver; holdovers Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin cannot fill that role over the long haul. Beckham would seem to have the potential to be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL. While he is not a burner, Beckham has good speed (4.43 in the 40), quickness and versatility, and he also is a good kick returner. Beckham can play wide and in the slot, and has the ability to get deep. His blocking needs to improve, but that can be said about most college receivers.
In addition, his ability to become a No. 1 receiver is important. Clemson's Sammy Watkins, Evans and perhaps Cooks also can become legit go-to guys, and that's not a given for the likes of Benjamin and Lee, both of whom battled inconsistency and focus issues in college. Beckham is the No. 3 wide receiver and the No. 17 overall player on NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah's list of the top 50 prospects; Beckham is the No. 3 receiver and the No. 15 overall player on senior draft analyst Gil Brandt's top 50 list.
Eagles coach Chip Kelly has been making the rounds of pro days, and he attended LSU's. Brandt said Beckham had a "sensational" workout that day.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
