The hype surrounding Jordan Matthews heading into the 2014 season was totally rational pretty crazy. People like THIS GUY were taking hyperbole to a new level:
Based on his training camp performance today I really don’t think it’s too soon to say Jordan Matthews is the best WR in NFL history.
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) July 30, 2014
But jokes aside, Matthews had a real solid rookie campaign. Here's what I wrote last month:
Numbers: 779 snaps, 67 rec, 876 yards, 13.1 Y/R, 8 TD, 44 Long, 5 drops, 0 fumbles
Review: Jordan Matthews may be the youngest player on the Eagles but he sure didn't show it as a rookie. The Vanderbilt alumnus finished just 36 yards short of tying the most yardage by an Eagles rookie receiver. Matthews was a huge upgrade over Jason Avant in the slot. It looks like the Eagles are content with keeping Matthews on the inside for the future.
There's no doubt Matthews has a bright future. He won't be 23 until July so he still has a lot of room left to mature. There are a few plays in this highlights video where a defender makes a shoe-string tackle to barely trip him up. He comes so close to breaking these plays even bigger than they were. Moving forward I think Matthews will be able to go the distance.
It'll be interesting to see how Matthews performs when the Eagles will likely start Nick Foles at quarterback in 2015. Foles targeted the rookie slot receiver 51 times for 278 yards and two touchdowns on 30 receptions (9.27 yards/reception). Compare that to the relationship Mark Sanchez had with Matthews: 50 targets for 559 yards and six touchdowns on 35 receptions (15.97 yards/reception). Sanchez and Matthews had a good chemistry that developed during training camp in the summer.
In any event, enjoy the video highlights above.
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Hat tip to @EaglesHighlight on Twitter for the video.