2020 NFL Draft profile: KJ Hamler is an absolute speed demon

If there’s one thing Penn State’s KJ Hamler has … it’s speed. Blazing speed.

Hamler (5-9, 178) didn’t run at the combine in Indianapolis because of a hamstring injury but if he did, he would’ve put up one of the fastest 40 times of all the competitors in Indianapolis.

In his two years with the Nittany Lions, Hamler caught 98 passes for 1,658 yards and 13 touchdowns. He averaged 16.9 yards per catch.

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While the other fastest receiver in this draft class, Henry Ruggs III, was very sure-handed, the same can’t be said for Hamler. In 2019, he dropped 12 balls and had one of the worst drop rates among the receivers in this year’s class. He’s also not big or strong enough to make contested catches, so drops are a real problem.

Hamler’s brand of acceleration and straight-line speed is hard to come by, but he’s probably a better option in Round 2.

Current roster at WR: The Eagles don’t have a ton they can count on. Their top receivers right now are Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Greg Ward Jr. Alshon is aging, declining, coming off injury and might be a locker room problem. DeSean is 33 and coming off a surgery. JJAW had a disappointing rookie season. And Ward might just be limited.

How he would fit: The Eagles have their speed guy in Jackson, but Jackson has played a full season just twice in his lengthy career. And the Eagles have made it a mission this offseason to get faster, so having another speedy target for Carson Wentz wouldn’t be a bad thing. Heck, the idea of Hamler learning from Jackson isn’t bad either.

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Eagles history at drafting WR: It’s been shaky recently. In the last decade, the Eagles drafted seven receivers and just one got a second contract after their rookie deal. Statistically speaking, their best WR draft pick in the 2010s was Jordan Matthews as a second-rounder in 2014.

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