Freddie Mitchell has very good speed, very good hands, but he just doesn’t produce.  He doesn’t play at his 4.45 forty time.   A brash rookie, who didn’t seem to fit in with Coach Reid’s high emphasis on character players, the Eagles were desperately attempting to upgrade WR when they chose Freddie Mitchell in the 1^st Round of the 2001 draft. 

Everyone, including Freddie Mitchell, is disappointed with where he is.   Would Freddie do better in a different offense?  Did Freddie ever adapt to NFL game speed?  The biggest question is how long do the Eagles wait for a return on their investment?  The Eagles Offense is so complex and WR timing so important that it is better to take an experienced Free Agent than to draft a WR and wait to see how far he can get up the learning curve.  This was a lesson learned as evidenced by the signing of Antonio Freeman. 

With Freeman a UFA, the Eagles have an interesting decision.  Do they gamble and cut Freeman free and hope that Mitchell steps up or that they can land another WR FA?  

Answer:  the Eagles like Freeman’s familiarity with the West Coast Offense and more importantly they like his production.  Also, Freeman seems comfortable in his role as a third receiver.   Freeman is not the long term answer but he can help a great deal next year.   The Eagles will look to improve at WR.  If they wish to get back to the NFC championship improvement is mandatory.  If Freddie Mitchell doesn’t impress in camp, he may not see opening game.

 

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