Drafting a WR to replace DeSean

Now that he's got his coaching staff in place, the top item on Andy Reid's to-do list is deciding what to do about DeSean Jackson.

I wrote about Jackson's place in the wide receiver market last week. I maintain that the Eagles' best option is to work out a long-term agreement with him, unless Jackson is being completely unreasonable with his demands.

Another option for the Eagles, if they choose to part ways with Jackson, is to draft a wide receiver.

The Eagles figure to look elsewhere if they re-sign free agent DeSean Jackson, but there are no guarantees after D-Jax's petulance caused in-season turmoil and his production sagged. Wright is a more versatile wideout than Jackson, having excelled both from the slot and out wide. With a 42-inch vertical and 4.3 speed, Wright is also the premier deep threat in this year's receiver class.

But would any of those players be able to contribute immediately in the Eagles' offense?

Jackson, a second-round pick, had 62 catches for 912 yards as a rookie back in 2008. Jeremy Maclin had 55 catches for 762 yards in 2009.

Here's a chart of how first-round picks at wide receiver have fared in the past five seasons:

As you can see, there have been varying degrees of success among first-round wide receivers. Injuries, quarterback play and coaching all must be taken into account, but of the 17 wide receivers drafted in the first round since 2007, only one has had a 1,000-yard season as a rookie (Green).

Jackson has averaged 1,061 yards per season since 2009. In other words, it's unlikely that the Eagles find a receiver in the draft to match that kind of production right away.

The 15-day period for using the franchise tag begins less than two weeks from today on Feb. 20. If the Eagles choose not to tag Jackson, and if they can't agree to terms on a long-term contract, he would become an unrestricted free agent on March 13.

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