Eagles WR Jordan Matthews: ‘I’m a completely different player than DeSean Jackson’

With the departure of DeSean Jackson this offseason, it was no secret that the Philadelphia Eagles were targeting a wide receiver in the NFL Draft last weekend. The Eagles were eventually going to pull the trigger, it was just a question of when, and the answer ended up being in the second round with the selection of Vanderbilt star Jordan Matthews, whose game appears to have a lot of similarities to Jackson’s.

So coming in, you would think that there’s a lot of pressure on Matthews as Jackson’s replacement, but he doesn’t see it that way. That’s because, he doesn’t see he and Jackson as all that similar to begin with, like most people do.

“I don’t think there’s any pressure [because] I’m a totally different player than DeSean Jackson,” Matthews told ESPN.com. “He’s a great player. I wish him all the best in Washington.”

Matthews has been one of the most productive wide receivers in the SEC the past few seasons, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark in receiving yardage the last two seasons. In 2013, he finished with 1,477 yards on 112 catches with seven touchdowns as he helped the Commodores earn another bowl bid.

He doesn’t bring the same special teams threat to the table that Jackson did, however that void can be filled by the offseason signing of Darren Sproles for the most part.

But in the passing game, despite what Matthews says, you can bet that Chip Kelly will look to his new weapon to be as close to Jackson’s replacement down the field as he possibly can be.