Eagles Add a Pair of Receivers on Day Two of the NFL Draft

On day two of the NFL draft, the Eagles selected their replacements for DeSean Jackson and Jason Avant.  First, selecting Vanderbilt wideout Jordan Matthews with the No. 42 overall pick and then nabbing Oregon wideout Josh Huff with the No. 86 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft.

(Eagles WR Jordan Matthews dishes on his reaction to being drafted by Philadelphia, his development during college, his approach to the NFL and more).

To get Matthews, the Eagles moved up from No. 54 to take and traded their fourth-round pick, No. 122 overall.  Eagles head coach Chip Kelly stated that he think Matthews will slide right into the slot - replacing Avant.

"He's got the speed to play on the outside," explained Kelly.  "He's got the size.  He can do a lot of the different things that we can do.  The big thing for us is the intangible things that Jason Avant brought playing inside that slot receiver, being a physical guy, and I think he can do that along with exploiting man coverage."

Matthews is 6-foot-3, 212 lbs. and has tons of SEC experience, having started for three-plus years at Vandy, setting SEC all-time records in catches (262) and yards (3,759) with 24 TDs. He was named first-team All-SEC as both a junior and senior by the conference's coaches.

"The remarkable thing you kept seeing with him is I think everybody knew when Vanderbilt went into the game that he was the guy that was going to get the ball," Kelly stated.  "Obviously, he's the all‑time leading receiver in that conference, yet he still kept getting the ball, so it's a credit to him."

As for Huff, Kelly brings in one of his own. Huff (5-foot-11, 206) made 36 starts for the Ducks, finishing his career with 144 catches for 2,366 yards (16.4 YPR) and 24 touchdowns.

One of the things that is apparent about Huff is he is a versatile threat on both offense and special teams - something Kelly really likes.

"Great position versatility with him," Kelly acknowledged.  "Josh played every position when we were at Oregon, so he's been an outside receiver, an inside receiver.  He played a little bit of running back early in his career.  He's returned kicks.  He's an outstanding special teams player.  You’re getting a physical football player just a shade under 6 feet, 205, 210 pounds.  He can run.  He has a nasty presence to himself, so he's not risk‑adverse to contact.  He's going to get after people.  He's a physical player in the run game.  So really excited to see if we can add him to the group."