Next up in our series of player nuggets is wide receiver Jason Avant, widely regarded as one of the best slot receivers in the entire league.
1. The sure-handed Avant posted career-highs in receptions and receiving yards last season with 41 catches for 587 yards. Those 587 receiving yards were fourth on the team and were fourth in the NFL among players who finished fourth on their team in receiving yards. Austin Collie of the Indianapolis Colts finished atop that category with 676 yards receiving.
2. Avant was drafted in the fourth round of the 2006 draft by the Eagles, after 11 other receivers had already been selected. Over his career, Avant has outperformed all but two of those players (Santonio Holmes and Greg Jennings). His career marks of 103 catches for 1,299 yards are fifth-best among the 30 receivers taken in the 2006 draft (Holmes, Jennings, Brandon Marshall and Marques Colston).
3. Ask any of Avant's teammates and they'll tell you that the Michigan man has the best hands on the team. So how does Avant perfect those mittens? He told reporters during the press conference announcing his recent extension that he often catches tennis balls in his New Jersey home, but he recently upgraded to another form of household practice. Avant now has his very own JUGS machine which he places in his backyard so he can catch footballs when he's away from the NovaCare Complex.
-- Posted by Bo Wulf, 1:02 p.m., June 29
