France’s Anthony Mahoungou working hard at Philadelphia Eagles minicamps

Earlier this month, the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles signed French wide receiver Anthony Mahoungou to a free agent contract and he has been participating in the Eagles OTAs.

Jeff Kerr, 247 Sports:

“Mahoungou looked above the competition in minicamp, but the Eagles need a red zone target. At 6-4, if Mahoungou can become a 50-50 receiver, he has a shot. The voluntary minicamp portion of the offseason will be telling.”

Mahoungou, who starred at Purdue and enjoyed an outstanding senior year, particularly the latter half, had been touted to be picked in the 2018 NFL Draft.

While not an early round prospect according to most pundits, the 6’3″, 210 lb native of Paris who started playing football in France when he was 13, was still expected to go in the fourth or fifth rounds. Apart from his sparkling, two-touchdown performance in the Foster Farms Bowl, when he helped Purdue defeat Arizona, in his senior year at Purdue he had 40 receptions for 688 yards and eight touchdowns.

 

The Sporting News:

“Mahoungou is a raw talent who is still fairly new to football and, with his size and length, he has tremendous upside.”

The Yardbarker:

“The 6-foot-3 wideout, who caught eight touchdowns this season, could join a very short list of French-born NFL players.”

However, he ended up going undrafted and like fellow countryman Anthony Dable, he was picked up for his enormous potential. While  Dable perhaps opened the eyes of many experts as to the talent in France after making the practice roster of the New York Giants and spending 2017 training camp with the Atlanta Falcons, Mahoungou  hopefully will provide solid proof.

 

Mahoungou was a member of the French U19 national team and is totally aware of his background and heritage.

As the first native of France to receive a full Division I football scholarship, he told the Purdue Exponent that he feels an incredible responsibility to his country.

“When I dress up in the locker room, I take a few seconds and (remind myself) that it’s not only for the team but also for your country because people are counting on you.”

Every time the 6-foot-3 wide receiver lined up for a play, he knew he had to perform, not only for Purdue to win but also because he wanted to uphold the reputation of any future French players.

As for now, Mahoungou is battling for a spot on the 52 man roster along with 11 other wide receivers.