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Former Utah wide receiver Dres Anderson had a strong showing at his personal pro day, showing NFL scouts he has recovered from his knee injury that sidelined him for much of his senior season. He was reported to have posted a 40 time between 4.35 and 4.43. He also did not drop a single pass during his workout, which is huge for him. The performance at the pro day cemented Anderson as a receiver who will get drafted likely in one of the later rounds. With his explosive playmaking ability, the Philadelphia Eagles seem like the best fit.
In NFL free agency, the Eagles lost their best receiver in Jeremy Maclin. Because of this, NFL.com listed wide receiver as one of the biggest positions of need for Philadelphia. While Anderson may not as complete or talented of a receiver Maclin, he has the speed and shiftiness in the open field to help mitigate the loss of the former Missouri standout.
Eagles coach Chip Kelly has shown at the college level (with the Oregon Ducks) and in the NFL that he can find effective ways to utilize the offensive playmakers on the team. His wide open, up-tempo, spread offense would allow the Red Rocket ample opportunity to make big plays. Kelly clearly has interest in Anderson as he took in Utah's Pro Day in person and spoke to Anderson while in Salt Lake City.
.@DrizzyDrezz_6 chatting with @Eagles head coach Chip Kelly pic.twitter.com/ymBtvIoOIt
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) March 26, 2015
His junior season in 2013 was Anderson's best. He caught 53 passes for 1,002 yards and seven touchdowns. A knee injury cut Anderson's senior season short, so his numbers dropped, but he still had 22 receptions for 355 yards and four touchdowns. Anderson is not a possession receiver as he struggles with drops (18.6% drop rate over the last two seasons) at times and does not always get good separation on short to intermediate routes. Where he excels is with making big plays. In 2013, he had seven receptions of 50 yards or more and averaged 18.9 yards per catch. He had six games where he had 100 receiving yards or more as a junior.
Kelly's offensive scheme creates routes that help wide receivers get open, which should help Anderson. Receivers for Kelly at both Oregon and Philadelphia have not struggled with drops. With Anderson, it seemed like his drops were more mental than due to poor hands because he proved he could make difficult catches.
Most NFL mock drafts have the Eagles taking a wide receiver in one of the first couple rounds of the NFL Draft, but it would not surprise me for them to consider Anderson in the fifth round or later. This would be an ideal situation for Anderson because he would not be expected to be the guy from day one and would allow him to develop his hands and route running, while still allowing him to be a situational big play guy. It has also been reported by multiple sources (Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net reported the Eagles have met with Eric Rowe) that the Eagles are highly interested in former Utah cornerback/safety Eric Rowe. Having another former Ute that Anderson played with would only help him get settled in with the Eagles. Anderson could prove to be a steal for the Eagles if they can get him in a later round and could show off his skill set well in Philadelphia's unique offense.