Philadelphia Eagles Draft | Benjamin Solak Top 100 Big Board
A lot of the talent behind the Philadelphia Eagles’ pick, in slots 21-30, could improve their draft stock before the day rolls around. If the Eagles fall for one of these prospects, they could reach for them at 15.
4 more corners–for those of you playing at home, that’s 8 in the top 30. If the Eagles forego picking a CB1 in the first round of the draft, they’ll hope for one of these prospect to slide into the second.
Alabama’s Marlon Humphrey interests me as a prospect. The most athletic corner in this class, he just struggles to play with his back to the ball–simple as that. A move to safety might behoove him, a la Byron Jones in Dallas, but I think more than a few defensive back coaches will look at him and say “I can fix that”, a la Sam from Holes (3 movie references now). This underclassman hasn’t even declared yet, though many expect he will. A storyline to follow, for sure.
Florida’s Teez Tabor
defines
high risk/high reward for a cornerback. Think CB Leodis McKelvin, just, you know, good. He closes on the ball better than anyone in this class, and thus naturally fits as a zone corner, but often plays far too physically in man, the Eagles’ preferred coverage style. He’ll draw a lot of flags at the next level, but he’ll pick off a lot of passes, too.
If Ohio State’s Marshon Lattimore put another year of film on tape, he’d likely be my #1 corner. With only three 2015 games and the 2016 season to put forth, Lattimore shows all of the skills, but I have to question his consistency/individual production. He played with a very good Ohio State defense for one year, and then declared. Is the redshirt sophomore really worth his salt?
And finally, Clemson’s Cordrea Tankersley. Another product of our Eagles’ mock, Tankersley is a pure cover corner who can change direction, mirror, and close with the best of them. However, he sometimes struggles in zone coverage, and absolutely vanishes in the run game. I really believe in him as a prospect–I think he could achieve a Marcus Peters-like game.
John Ross, the WR from Washington, is a straight speed demon that might interest a Philadelphia offense that desperately needs to get vertical. These kinds of prospects can worry you–they don’t always have the best hands–but Ross catches well and also runs crisp routes, something speedsters often lack. Those fans clamoring for a DeSean Jackson redux in Philly should also support Ross as a first-round pick–they stress defenses and produce in similar ways.