John Hightower, Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles rebuilt their wide receiver corps this offseason by adding several new pieces, including Hightower. Philadelphia’s wide receivers will compete for snaps now that the depth chart seemingly doubled in size during the spring, but Hightower should still get opportunities in the NFL.

After drafting Jalen Reagor in the first-round, the Eagles went back to the wide receiver position for Hightower in the fifth and Quez Watkins in the sixth. The team also traded for San Francisco’s Marquise Goodwin.

Like most of Philadelphia’s recent acquisitions, Hightower injects some speed into the offense. He ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at the combine, but that ranks on the slower side compared to some of his new teammates.

At Boise State, Hightower played a significant role in the offense as a junior and senior. In 2019, he led the Broncos with 943 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns. Hightower also led the Mountain West Conference with 26 kickoff returns for 639 yards.

Hightower is a problem running vertical routes. Even against NFL players, he can blow the top off of defenses and break huge plays. His twitchy release at the line of scrimmage also creates an advantage against defenders. However, Hightower can’t consistently catch passes. He fails at tracking the ball sometimes and doesn’t naturally grasp the ball.

Overall, Hightower projects out as a depth option who needs to fight for snaps early in the season. With so much turnover, Philadelphia should give Hightower a chance to prove himself worthy of regular snaps. However, too many dropped passes could sink his career.