Philadelphia Eagles: The future of the secondary has arrived
By using their picks in the second and third rounds the Philadelphia Eagles have finally looked into fixing their secondary problems. While Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas may have different paths to playing time, they are both important to the future of this team.
Sidney Jones was once thought to be a lock to be the first cornerback off of the board in the 2017 NFL Draft, but his left achilles had other plans. A tear to that tendon during his pro day killed his draft stock, but the Philadelphia Eagles chose him in the second round because they believe in the talent he has on the field along with his ability to recover from a devastating injury. Only time will tell if he regains the explosiveness the makes him such a good corner, but many believe that will happen in due time.
When watching Jones’ game film I have compared him to former Eagle and now New York Giant Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Jones won’t wow you with his physical game, but rather play with a type of finesse that is rare in the NFL.
Coming after a receiver in zone coverage is where Jones is at his best, but he is still able to use his body to jam receivers in man coverage. With a year to recover Jones could be a steal in the second round.
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On the other hand, Rasul Douglas is ready to step into a huge role now. Drafted out of West Virginia University after leading the country with eight interceptions, Douglas has all the physical intangibles to succeed right away. With Jones possibly sidelined for the next season and the cornerback depth chart anything but promising, Douglas can come in and cement his status as a starter from the get go.
What stood out to me the most when watching Douglas in college is how athletically gifted he is. At 6’2″ and 209 lbs. Douglas is able to use his length to win in the air and also dive to deflect short passes or wrangle a receiver to the ground. One cornerback he reminds me of is Minnesota Vikings stud Xavier Rhodes.
What the Eagles need is someone big enough to cover top receivers and quick enough to tackle the man in the slot. Douglas can do both of these. In my opinion, one of the most overlooked Eagles selections, Douglas can fill an important role early on and succeed.
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The Eagles really haven’t had a strong cornerback group since 2008, and while this group isn’t spectacular they have a ton of promise. Both Jones and Douglas give the team something to not only look forward to in the future, but also now. If both of these cornerbacks can reach their full potential the Eagles will have something special brewing on defense for 2017 and beyond.