Philadelphia’s Nelson Agholor a strong candidate for NFL rookie of the year

Winning the NFL rookie of the year award is a major accomplishment and Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor is in prime position to claim the award. Many times winning this award comes down to talent and opportunity.

Through two preseason games, Agholor has already shown that he has the talent to succeed in the NFL. He uses his exceptional quickness and speed to create separation. His ability to run clean routes provides the quarterback with an open target.

Agholor also has strong and reliable hands showing the ability to pluck the ball away from his frame. His touchdown catch in the first preseason game was a great example of his ball skills.

Rookie receivers typically go through a bit of an adjustment period because it takes time to get comfortable with the speed of the game and learn pro-style routes. The adjustment should be easier for Agholor thanks to Chip Kelly’s system.

The Eagles run a wide open attack that features a lot of quick-hitting routes that look to get the ball into the hands of the playmakers. This type or system really plays to Agholor’s strengths as he excels at picking up yards after the catch.

He’s a shifty runner who can also get up to full speed in a hurry. Agholor consistently turns wide receiver screens into positive yardage—a play that gets a lot of run in Chip Kelly’s offense.

Agholor has already caught the eye of fellow wide receiver, Jordan Matthews, who said:

"“Nelson, you talk about explosive efforts in practice. That kid has them. So it’s not surprising when he takes a hitch to the house like that. He made another big play later on another hitch [for 15 yards and a first down on second-and-10]. Adding him to this offense is going to be huge”"

It’s obvious to see that Agholor has the talent to win the rookie of the year award, but he’s also going to get the necessary playing time to showcase those skills.

Philadelphia heads into the season needing to replace Jeremy Maclin, and his 85 receptions, who left via free agency. Jordan Matthews is expected to see a major increase in targets, but there are plenty of opportunities still available.

The top receivers on the Eagles depth chart are Matthews, Riley Cooper, Agholor and Josh Huff. Both Matthews and Cooper are more possession receivers who lack elite quickness. They won’t be asked to run a lot of the same route concepts as Agholor.

This means that Huff is the only real competition Agholor is facing for playing time. Thus far, Agholor has outplayed Huff this preseason. He has caught 7 passes for 106 yards and a touchdown while Huff has only 1 catch for 12 yards.

Agholor is going to face some stiff competition from other rookies such as Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Amari Cooper and Melvin Gordon. This figures to be a tight race, but Agholor should be a strong candidate the entire season.