Wendell Smallwood

Wendell Smallwood is up for Rookie of the Week honors

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Wendell Smallwood is a Rookie of the Week nominee.

The Philadelphia Eagles didn’t have a great performance against the Washington Redskins Sunday, but at least they have Wendell Smallwood to be proud of.

Smallwood didn’t have a mind-blowing stat line, rushing 4 times for only 6 yards and catching a pass for 14 yards. It’s his incredible 86-yard kickoff return, however, that earned him the nomination for the Pepsi Rookie of the Week.

NOPE.
You're not stopping Wendell Smallwood.

86-yard kickoff return TD for the @Eagles. WOW. #FlyEaglesFly https://t.co/YXNq3c1pLr

— NFL (@NFL) October 16, 2016

Smallwood was a standout running back for the West Virginia Mountaineers last season, rushing 238 times for 1,519 yards and 9 touchdowns before declaring for the draft.

Selected in the fifth round (153 overall) of the draft, Smallwood has been impressive in his rookie campaign. Despite losing touches to veterans Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles, Smallwood has still managed to compile 102 yards on 24 carries, including a 17-carry, 79-yard performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3.

Smallwood is only playing a small role in the Eagles’ offense, but there is no reason to believe that will remain the case for long. Smallwood’s playmaking ability is evident and should receive more looks when Mathews and Sproles inevitably begin to regress.