Coming out of spring work, Doug Pederson hopes Eagles receivers' improvement is catching

Is there really much you can take out of NFL spring work – the OTAs, and then the three-day minicamp, the Eagles' version of which ended Thursday?

One thing the Birds hope they can take into the first full-squad training camp practice July 27 is a deeper, more confident wide receiving corps. There's a lot you can't tell when players are working without pads and can't hit, but you can tell when receivers catch the ball or don't. The results in that area seemed markedly better than a year ago.

Part of the reason might be the addition of veterans Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith raising the overall talent level, along with draftees Mack Hollins (fourth round) and Shelton Gibson (fifth round). But part of it might also be new wide receivers coach Mike Groh, who has brought a tougher, more competitive atmosphere to the group, players and coaches say.

Even though there was no tackling, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz's group tends to be extremely aggressive in pass defense, and that was the case this spring; lots of times, receivers had to fight through what would have been ruled pass interference in a game.

"The drops are down, obviously, this year," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said Thursday as he prepared to bid the players farewell until camp. "But the one thing that's been a little more impressive are the contested catches. We've been able to catch a few more of those, which is good to see, and you're going to have to do."

It's way too early to declare any corners decisively turned, but Groh, or something, seems to have made a huge difference in Nelson Agholor, the Eagles' underperforming 2015 first-round choice.

With Jordan Matthews sitting out much of the spring because of knee tendinitis – Matthews said Thursday he expects to be OK for camp – Agholor has worked primarily in the slot and has consistently been a top performer.

Thursday, Agholor sparkled in a red zone drill, plucking a Carson Wentz pass through traffic at the back of the end zone while being bumped by a defender, bringing it down with both feet inbounds. It was a good enough play that defensive backs coach Cory Undlin, whose sympathies obviously rested more with the defender, complimented Agholor on the catch as he returned to the huddle.

"He's been explosive in there. He's made some big plays for us in there this spring," Pederson said when asked about Agholor's slot work. "His confidence level is high right now. Excited to see him grow in that position."

Pederson suggested that the addition of Jeffery and Smith has taken some pressure off Agholor, but Pederson said the biggest difference has been "him going out there and just attacking the day."