Trying to figure out Jeremy Maclin can be tough. He doesn’t have blazing speed. He doesn’t have great hands. There isn’t anything dynamic about him. He’s pretty good at most things, but isn’t special.

He did lead the Eagles WRs in catches and TDs in each of the last 2 seasons. That may not sound like a huge deal, but consider that last year he had no preseason games due to his illness. He then got hurt vs Arizona and played only half the game. He sat out the next 3 weeks. All that and he still was 63-859-5 compared to DeSean’s 58-961-4.

There was a stretch early in the season when Mac caught 36 passes in 5 games. That pace would put you at 115 catches for the season. The Eagles only went 1-4 in those games. That was when the defense was a mess (insert joke here). Still, only one of those games involved a situation where we fell way behind and had to go crazy with the passing (BUF game).

To put the 36 catches in perspective, think about the fact that DeSean only caught 47 passes in all of the 2010 season. I know, they’re different players and comparing numbers is very tricky, but you still have to be impressed by 36 catches over 5 games compared to 47 over 14.

Mac showed a lot of promise in 2010. He had 10 TD catches that year, including 7 in the Red Zone. 2011 was a step backward, although it is hardly his fault. The situation with the mystery illness kept him in the doctor’s office and off the practice field. The fact that Mac was able to start 13 games and lead the wideouts in catches and TDs is pretty darn impressive.

What can we expect from Mac in 2012? Mac made a good leap from his rookie year to 2010. He was a player on the rise. 2011 threw that off track, but it doesn’t mean he can’t get right back into that career arc.

2009 – 55-762 (13.9) – 4 TDs

2010 – 70-964 (13.8) – 10 TDs

2011 – 63-859 (13.6) – 5 TDs

Maybe this year he goes 80-1100-8 TDs. Those would be good numbers.

I think Mac is still scratching the surface of his potential. He’s just 24 years old (in May). While he doesn’t have DeSean’s electric speed, Mac runs very well. He’s fast enough to get by some CBs for the deep ball. Mac has good hands. He’ll drop passes from time to time (the Falcons game), but he’s at least average in this area, if not above average.

Mac is the best route runner on the Eagles. He runs crisp routes and gets to the right spot at the right time. He has good body control. This allows him to make sharp cuts and keep his balance.

Mac has okay size at 6-0, 200. He’s reportedly added a couple of pounds so maybe he’s up to 205 this year. I’m hoping that’s true. Mac has natural strength. He’s not built like Anquan Boldin to be sure, but he’s also not tiny. Maybe my biggest issue with Mac is that he needs to play bigger and stronger. He showed great RAC ability at Missouri. We’ve only seen hints of that in the NFL. The WR screen for a long TD in the Falcons game was probably the best moment.

Too often, Mac catches the ball and goes to the outside, sometimes heading for the sideline. I have no issue with him not wanting extra hits. I am bothered by the lack of times he uses the middle of the field. That’s where you get a lot of big plays. When he does run, Mac is more of a finesse guy. He’s got the size and strength to break some tackles, but rarely does.

I’m hoping this changes as he gets older. The NFL has a way of changing players. They grow from college kids to NFL men. Some toughen up and become more physical players. I don’t need Mac to be Anquan Boldin, but right now he’s too much of a Fred Barnett type and that’s not ideal in the WCO, even our version of it.

I’d be ecstatic with Maclin if he did a better job over the middle of the field and got back to his RZ production from 2010. Then he and DeSean would be the perfect complements to each other. Both guys can’t stretch the field and work the edges. We need one to do that and the other to be better on crossing and intermediate routes. Since DeSean has explosive speed, he’s the field stretcher. That means Mac needs to embrace his role. Toughen up and show us what you can do.

The Eagles have to be curious about Mac from a contract standpoint. He’s the kind of young, ascending player you want to keep, but how much do you pay him? The guy from 2010 showed big potential. The guy from 2011? Not so much. A big 2012 season will boost his price. A mediocre season might mean the Eagles start looking for another WR next April.

I get the sense that Mac is a driven guy who wants to show how good he can be. I think he’ll embrace the challenge and have a good year.

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Will the Eagles keep 5 or 6 WRs? I think I’ve written about this before, but the bottom line is that nothing is written in stone. This is up to the players. We know DeSean, Mac, and Jason Avant will be here.

Riley Cooper, Marvin McNutt, Chad Hall, Damaris Johnson, Ron Johnson, and Mardy Gilyard will battle it out for 2 or 3 jobs. The Eagles would love all these guys to play well and force the team to keep 3. It really is up to the players. The team won’t keep 6 WRs for the heck of it. There have to be 6 that deserve to stick around.

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I know some of you guys are big into Football Outsiders. That’s just not my cup of tea. Go here to read some of Brian Solomon’s thoughts on the new FOA and what they had to say about the Eagles. Some good nuggets.

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Jimmy Bama has a good post up on the age of OLs around the league. The Eagles have a unique situation. Not the youngest bunch, but lots of tread left on the tires, so to speak.

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