Round 3: WR Josh Huff
One of Chip’s former Oregon guys, Josh Huff looked like a potentially decent No. 3 or 4 wide receiver in the future based on his college tape, and he did show some promise as a rookie. Huff
could have a shot to usurp Riley Cooper as the starting outside receiver in two-wide sets, but he’ll still have his work cut out for him after posting an even lower catch rate with less yards per target than Cooper last season.
Even though it all came in the smallest of sample sizes, Huff caught just eight of his 18 targets for 98 yards, averaging just 5.4 yards per target. That said, he did have his desired impact as a run blocker in the Eagles offense, which will be critical in his competition with Cooper this offseason. Huff also showed off special teams ability, so his returns and blocking can make up for any deficiencies in the passing game if he doesn’t make a significant impact as a pass-catcher in 2014.
I think Huff should do a credible job for the Eagles going forward, but he showed last season that he was one of the most raw receivers in the rookie class and was likely over-drafted. Huff needs to become more consistent and cut out the myriad of negative plays that undermine the explosive ones he makes. He deserved to have just 18 targets last season after doing very little with those opportunities, but it’s fair to say that Huff has promise going forward. But if he’s the team’s No. 3 receiver over Cooper, then hopefully that’s not because Cooper sucked that badly in August.
Rookie Grade: D+