Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, Odell Beckham and Brandin Cooks were the first four wide receivers drafted, and those guys might all go on to have the best NFL careers. But the guy getting a lot of buzz so far this preseason is Philadelphia second-rounder Jordan Matthews.
The rookie out of Vanderbilt, selected by the Eagles midway through the second round, is getting words bandied about like "star" and "special" at OTAs. Those words are being used by media observers and teammates; the words from Chip Kelly, who's the only one who really counts, are more measured.
"Jordan has done a nice job," said Kelly. "You get great effort and a consistent approach on a daily basis from what he gives you. So we're really excited about him. But right now, he's still just acting like a rookie."
What's certain, though, is that the wide receivers clearly ahead of him are only Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin, the latter of whom is on a one-year deal and coming off a torn ACL. So Matthews could be a top guy in Kelly's offense fairly quickly.
Tough for rookie wideouts to make an immediate impact, but it all looks pretty good for Matthews so far.
--Andy Richardson