What Eagles want from their draft pick receivers in Year 2

What Eagles want from their draft pick receivers in Year 2 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Eagles Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith aim to become more complete receivers in Year 2 of their NFL careers.

Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith were Day 3 picks last year and the team has invested time to develop the young receivers..

The Eagles know what they want to see from them in Year 2.

I think really to just kind of continue to grow their whole game," offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo said. They have a certain skillset coming in and then you just want to continue to grow from there and see what else they can do.

Johnny's a very physical player. Ainias had some opportunities at the end of the year last year, but really, we just need to see what else they can do besides what they did last year and see if they can continue to advance their game."

The Eagles drafted Smith in the fifth round out of Texas A&M last spring and then used a sixth-round pick on Wilson out of Florida State. Even though Smith and Wilson were both Day 3 receivers drafted by the Eagles, they're very different players. Smith is 5-foot-9 and 176 pounds, while Wilson is 6-foot-6, 228 pounds.

While their respective frames lend themselves to specific roles, Patullo made it clear that the Eagles want both Wilson and Smith to become more complete players.

What does that mean for Wilson?

Just being able to play all positions at wideout," Wilson said. Being in the slot, being outside, being able to take advantage of mismatches and being able to win on the outside and on the inside. Just being able to do that gives you more opportunity."

Wilson, 24, had a way bigger role than Smith in their rookie season. He played 369 snaps in the regular season with 5 catches on 15 targets for 38 yards and a touchdown. (He had 3 for 24 in Week 18.) And Wilson even played in all four playoff games - he got 39 snaps and had a target that he dropped in the Super Bowl.

For the most part, Wilson's role as a rookie was to be a blocker. So he's hoping to retain that role but maybe expand it too.

Even though Wilson has had his ups and downs through nine days of training camp this year, he feels like he is a much improved player from where he was as a rookie.

Definitely the details," Wilson said. I've just been so much more confident in my abilities, being detailed in my routes, the plays and just knowing everyone's job just in case. If I need to go inside, outside, just knowing what to do. Just getting those reps over and over again."

So what about Smith? What does he need to work on to become a more complete player?

I'd probably say deep balls and contested catches," Smith answered. I feel like I'm working. I feel like I'm working a lot. Just continue to work and wait on that opportunity and make the best of it when it comes."

Smith got off to a slow start last training camp after he had to work his way back from a stress fracture. And then he landed on Injured Reserve at final cuts. Some thought that might be the end of Smith's rookie season but it wasn't.

The Eagles ended up activating Smith off IR in late October. He eventually played 96 snaps and had 7 catches on 9 targets for 41 yards and a touchdown. He had 4 for 35 and a touchdown in that Week 18 game, but was inactive for all four playoff games.

But that Giants game to cap the regular season, even though it was meaningless to many, meant a lot to Smith.

I guess you could say it gave me a confidence boost," Smith said, but really it just proved to myself that I am able to go in and do what I set myself out to do."

Both Wilson and Smith have gotten a lot of reps with every team this spring. Wilson said being able to play multiple positions has helped him see the field more this summer.

But with injuries to DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown this training camp - Smith is back now but Brown has been out with a hamstring injury - there have been some first-team reps to go around. And a lot of them have gone to these two second-year players.

They mean everything," Smith said. While you have the opportunity to get those reps, you might as well go ahead and take advantage of them. That's what I've been trying to do. I'm going to continue to keep working."

The Eagles have their top three receivers set going into 2025 with Brown, DeVonta Smith and Jahan Dotson. But there are two or three spots up for grabs on the 53-man roster after those guys.

In addition to Wilson and Ainias Smith, the other receivers on the roster are Terrace Marshall, Avery Williams, Elijah Cooks, Darius Cooper, Giles Jackson, Taylor Morin and Ife Adeyi. While Marshall has been dealing with an injury, Cooks has made some impressive catches through the first nine practices and so have some of the other receivers.

It's not a given that Wilson and Smith make the Eagles' roster in Year 2. But it seems like the Eagles want to give the 2024 draft picks every opportunity to do so. Both receivers are looking forward playing in the preseason.

And they're leaning on each other throughout the whole process.

We always push each other every day to be great," Wilson said. Some days, when you feel like you can't come out here and you don't feel your best, me and him have always been locked in. We came in together so we always try to push each other and encourage each other, make it through the day and give our best effort. We lean on each other a lot to keep each other locked in."