Nelson Agholor adjusting to Philadelphia Eagles’ up-tempo pace
REPORTING FROM PHILADELPHIA — There’s no denying Nelson Aglohor has opportunity at his fingertips, but the Philadelphia Eagles rookie is trying not to look beyond his next catch.
“As a player, I just have to know my assignment and be in the right position,” said Agholor, the former USC receiver selected 20th overall in this year’s draft. “What happens after that is great. I don’t know what my numbers will be, nor do I think somebody else’s numbers are going to affect what I see. All I want to do is take advantage of the opportunity to play under a coaching staff like this.”
As a junior for the Trojans last season, Agholor caught 104 passes for 1,313 yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s now on a Philadelphia team that parted ways with All-Pro receivers in consecutive seasons -- first DeSean Jackson, then Jeremy Maclin.
Along with Jordan Matthews, a second-round pick last year, and Josh Huff, Agholor gives the Eagles one of the NFL’s more talented trios of young receivers.
Agholor conceded that switching to Coach Chip Kelly’s up-tempo style has been an adjustment.
“What you have to do is make yourself uncomfortable throughout practice,” Agholor said. “If I walk off the field fatigued and tired, that’s a good thing.
“My last year [at USC], we tried a little bit to try to emulate this same style of play, so I had a little bit of an advantage. But this is different, obviously. We do it with more of a sense of urgency throughout everything. This is the highest level.”
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