Eagles Host WR Benjamin, CB Colvin

Earlier today, we noted that the Eagles were getting a look at Montana LB Jordan Tripp.

But a couple other prospects were in town as well. According to Adam Caplan, the team hosted Florida State WR Kelvin Benjamin and Oklahoma CB Aaron Colvin.

If Chip Kelly wants a wide receiver with size, Benjamin is his man. The 6-5, 240-pounder has long arms (34 7/8 inches) and big hands (10 1/4 inches). He had 54 catches for 1,011 yards and 15 touchdowns last season for the Seminoles.

Here’s a look at how he tested out at the combine:

Benjamin ran a 4.61, and you can see he does not have elite athleticism. He turned 23 in February and has only performed at a high level for one season in college.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. wrote recently that Benjamin presents serious risk:

He is a full 6-foot-5, checks in at 240 pounds and carries it well. But I think the physical talent outpaces the receiving skills at this point, because Benjamin drops too many passes, lets the ball get into his frame too often and doesn’t yet know how to set up and create separation when he’s facing good DBs. There’s no question the physical talent is there, but he could be overdrafted based on the traits.

Greg Peshek of Rotoworld has an excellent post up on this year’s WR class. He found that Benjamin dropped 9.7 percent of the balls he had a chance to catch, a high number. He also found that Benjamin was best on go routes where he could use his size to fight off defenders. YAC was not necessarily a strength:

We can see the effects of Benjamin’s deep receptions as he caught the ball an average of 13.4 yards from the line of scrimmage, proving to be a solid deep threat. However, his 4.89 yards after the catch is the lowest among the top 15 WRs. That’s not necessarily a problem with a bigger WR as that’s not ‘where he wins’. However, we still have to take that into account when comparing him to other similarly sized WRs.

Still, it’s rare to find a wide receiver with Benjamin’s size. He is expected to go somewhere in the first two rounds.

Colvin, meanwhile, presents a more difficult projection. The 5-11, 177-pounder suffered a torn ACL at the Senior Bowl. Per Caplan, before that injury, he was considered a second-round pick.

Colvin was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in each of the past two years for the Sooners. He played strong safety in 2011.