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Eagles need production from wideout Nelson Agholor

Nelson Agholor was one of the least productive wide receivers in the NFL last season. No receiver with as many routes run averaged fewer yards. And only eight receivers with as many targets had a worse DYAR ranking (defense-adjusted yards above replacement), as calculated by the advanced statistics website Football Outsiders.

Nelson Agholor was one of the least productive wide receivers in the NFL last season.

No receiver with as many routes run averaged fewer yards. And only eight receivers with as many targets had a worse DYAR ranking (defense-adjusted yards above replacement), as calculated by the advanced statistics website Football Outsiders.

There will be more on that information later, but even if numbers were taken out of the equation, Agholor's season wouldn't score high on the eyeball exam. He played starter's snaps, but was virtually absent for long stretches. And when he did show up, it was almost as often for a penalty or dropped pass as it was for a standout catch.

If Agholor wasn't rushed into his role, if he didn't play opposite Riley Cooper and Miles Austin, if he didn't suffer a midseason high ankle sprain, and if Sam Bradford didn't shy away from throwing down the field and outside the numbers, it might have been time to break out the "B-word" (Hint: It rhymes with "cussed") after the first-round receiver's rookie year.

But within the context of the Eagles' 2015 season, it would be unfair to label Agholor, or any receiver, this early into his career. His base numbers (23 catches for 283 yards and one touchdown) may not stack up to other first-round receivers over the last decade, but several have been as inefficient or worse.

But of those recent examples, few, if any, have gone on to warrant the investment. If there is a silver lining, it is that nearly every first-round receiver's production increased in his second season.

If Agholor's disappointing first season had more to do with outside influences than his abilities, he could benefit from said jump. If not, the Eagles may not be able to afford to trudge him out there for as many snaps.

"We need to win football games, and I need to prove that I can help this team win football games. So that's what I have to prove," Agholor said two weeks ago. "Only people I have something to prove to are the guys in this locker room, this organization, and this team."

There are obvious pressures that go along with being a first-round draft pick. Agholor disagreed with the notion. Blocking outside noise is one thing, but there are internal demands. He wouldn't have played 73 percent of the offensive plays when active - as essentially Jeremy Maclin's replacement - had the Eagles not selected him so early.

It was partly out of necessity. Cooper started opposite Agholor, and Austin and Josh Huff were the only other outside receiving options for most of the season, while Jordan Matthews remained in the slot.

Changes have been made this offseason. New coach Doug Pederson is experimenting with moving Matthews outside. And veterans Chris Givens and Rueben Randle were signed. But Agholor's job remains his to lose.

Givens, who spent most of his first four years with the Rams, isn't conceding anything.

"If [Agholor] gets it, he gets it. If he don't, I'm here to make plays," Givens said. "I feel because it's a new coaching staff we're all starting off at the same spot."

Indeed, Pederson didn't draft Agholor, nor did he bring Huff to Philadelphia. Chosen in the third round in 2014, Huff was widely considered a Chip Kelly pick. But he remains and could vie for more time in the slot if Matthews is to play primarily on the outside.

The Eagles didn't invest as much as they did in Agholor, and Huff did show statistical improvement in his second season - 27 catches for 312 yards and three touchdowns after tallying eight catches for 98 yards and no scores as a rookie - but he was still inconsistent.

"What I got to prove is just show that I'm getting better each and every day," Huff said. "I got this motto I live by: 'You got to want it more than they don't want you to have it.' I know outsiders have their opinion, but that's not my concern."

Agholor's struggles seemed to stem from an inability to get separation both off the line of scrimmage and down the field. He often drew the opposition's best cornerback, though, because he lined up primarily on the right. Darrelle Revis and Patrick Peterson, for instance, shut him down.

When he did break free, the ball often never arrived. Despite playing only 6 percent fewer plays than Matthews in the games they were both active, Agholor had less than half the targets (44 to 98). He was hardly the first option, but Bradford either lost confidence in him or was reluctant to air it out.

"I think the most important thing I did well," Agholor said, "was that I embraced the challenge."

Still, the Eagles will need more production if he's to play as often this season. Agholor's DYAR - which gives the value of a receiver's performance when he caught a ball, adjusted for situation and opponent and then translated into yardage - was 154th out of 162 receivers.

The Eagles certainly expected more when they plucked him out of Southern Cal with the 20th overall pick. The 2014 class was historically productive in year one, but Agholor's core numbers still paled in comparison with the average (45 catches for 607 yards and four touchdowns) of first-round receivers from the last decade.

Even if the comparison is per game, Agholor (1.8 catches for 21.8 yards and .08 touchdowns) comes up far short (3.3 catches for 44.4 yards and 0.3 touchdowns).

There is a second-year increase (56 catches for 802 yards and six touchdowns or 3.9 catches for 56.2 yards and 0.4 touchdowns per game), but it's not significant or enough to suggest that Agholor will ultimately justify the cost.

There are exceptions. And nothing seemed to go right for Agholor last season.

"When we were in camp in preseason, the guy was explosive," Matthews said. "When he hurt his ankle . . . and then you add all the pressure of being a rookie, first-round pick, it's hard to just go out there and play your best.

"But he looks really explosive now."

jmclane@phillynews.com

@Jeff_McLane