With an extra three weeks to prepare for this year’s NFL draft, things are getting a bit out of hand in the draft community. What should really change on one’s prospect analysis at this point? Nothing, the majority of changed impressions on players is a result of smokescreens by NFL franchises. What we can study is team needs, and possible fits for those needs. Enter: your DeSean Jackson -less Philadelphia Eagles.

Replacing 82 receptions, over 1300 yards and nine touchdowns will be no easy feat for Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia front office. To make matters worse, or better if you saw him play last year, Jason Avant is no longer employed in the city of brotherly love leaving two holes on the Eagles wide receiving depth chart. While Avant had just 38 receptions 447 yards and two scores in 2013, two contributors are out in Philadelphia, and new personnel will have to replace them.

In 2013 Zach Ertz and Brent Celek had a larger impact on the Eagles’ 4th ranked scoring offense than many would imagine. Combining for 971 yards and 10 touchdowns on 68 receptions, this dynamic duo should be ready to fill a larger role in the passing game in 2014. Furthermore, Riley Cooper’s 47 catches for 835 yards and eight scores should be attainable once again for the second year starter. Yet questions remain surrounding the effectiveness of this group to produce in Chip Kelly’s second year at the helm.

The return of Jeremy Maclin and insertion of recently acquired Darren Sproles will help fill the void left by Jackson and to a lesser extent Avant, but do not expect the Eagles to stand pat with Damaris Johnson as the fourth wideout. So do the Eagles take a wide receiver in the draft? There is no doubt about it.

Lacking a true number one option in the passing game does not bode well for a repeat performance from Nick Foles. And while Philadelphians have all the faith in the world in Napoleon’s dynamite, the man who set an NFL record for touchdown to interception ratio certainly needs some assistance.

Last season the Eagles’ reached 355 first downs, but allowed 368. While leading the league in rushing and posting just over 4,100 yards passing, the Eagles allowed 4,636 yards through the air, dead last in the NFL. What does this have to do with the Eagles potentially drafting a wide receiver in May? These statistics show that the Eagles have larger needs than filling out an offense that was amongst the league’s elite in nearly every category.

Philadelphia struggled to pressure the passer, and accrued just 37 sacks while allowing 46. While the Eagles’ offensive line remains stalwart, little has been done in the offseason to shore up a putrid secondary or the team’s glaring lack of a viable pass-rush. Sure Malcolm Jenkins is a drastic upgrade over Kurt Coleman but is he an elite-level difference maker in the secondary? Absolutely not. Certainly the team needs a receiver in the draft, but holes on the defensive side of the ball should be a priority.

In 2013 LeSean McCoy led the team in rushing, and came in second in receiving with 52 catches for 539 yards and two touchdowns. It is not an encouraging sign for a team’s receiving corps if the starting running back is second in receptions. In fact, only three of the top ten pass-catchers for the Eagles were wide receivers; the void is real.

So even with Jackson, the Eagles wide receiving corps required a tune-up in the 2014 draft, now that need is exacerbated. The health of Maclin is a question, Cooper’s longevity and effectiveness for the long term must be investigated as well. Additionally, the next best receiving weapon is a 30-year old running back with an unknown amount of fuel left in his tank. While Sproles will certainly see some time as a slot receiver, the Eagles must find help in the draft at wideout to add depth to a unit that a single injury could capsize.

So will the Eagles target a wide receiver in the draft? No doubt about it, but when that player will be taken is a different story. First round options include Marqise Lee of USC and Odell Beckham Jr. of LSU in addition to Brandin Cooks of Oregon state. Second round guys could range from Florida State’s Kelvin Benjamin, Penn State’s Allen Robinson, Fresno State’s Davante Adams, Vanderbilt’s Jordan Matthews, and longshot Kent State-standout Dri Archer who will likely be available later in the draft.  

Philadelphia will add a rookie wide receiver in May, be it at pick 22, 54, 86, or in a later round expect another pass catching option in Chip Kelly’s dynamic offense this season. While the loss of Jackson is more of a setback in terms of creating a need at a position over the lack of the player himself, number 10’s production will be missed should the Eagles not seek another option.