Philadelphia Eagles Draft: 5 Below The Radar First Round Prospects

Rasul Douglas, CB, WVU

I believe my love for Rasul has been well-documented by now, but if not, don’t worry. I’ve got you. Here it comes:

I love Rasul Douglas.

The West Virginia CB has ideal size (6’2 and 32 1/8″ arms) and toughness for press corner work, but also shows the instincts and diagnostic speed to play in off-man or zone coverage–that’s ideal for Philly. His ability to read and react to QB drops and route combinations blows me out of the water. He’s a cerebral corner.

Douglas also makes a number of impressive plays on the ball, with hands and a catch radius like a wide receiver. He led the nation with eight interceptions this year, and kept opposing quarterbacks to a passer rating below 40 over the season.

Douglas’ detractors will mention his perceived inability to track/mirror receivers through the entirety of their routes. However, the amount of time Douglas was asked to spend on each receiver–and how often he successfully spent that time on them–in West Virginia’s unique 3-3-5 defense puts this perceived flaw in perspective. The Mountaineers failed, all year long, to generate any sort of consistent pressure, and West Virginia’s corners often suffered for it.

As a matter of fact, that 3-3-5 puts the interception/passer rating numbers into even brighter light. To generate that production, with such little help from the defensive line? Sheesh.

I expect Douglas’ stock to really rise after the combine, where his long speed and short-area burst will shine. They regularly flash on tape (see: Rasul Douglas vs. Oklahoma and WR Dede Westbrook), but Douglas will have his biggest opportunity to showcase his athleticism in Indianapolis come March. I expect he capitalizes, and his stock begins to rise.

The Philadelphia Eagles will have their choice of corner at #15, and while the media may not be singing his praises just yet, why can’t Douglas be that guy? His play style reminds me a touch of Asante Samuel, and I expect him to produce similarly at the next level.

Next: Philadelphia Eagles Seven Round Mock 2.0

Are there more names that could hit this list? Most definitely. If the Eagles fall in love with a dark-horse guy others perceive as a reach, they should trust their scouts and go for it. Yes, that’s what they did with WR Nelson Agholor and DE Marcus Smith. But teams don’t sit around and read reports, the way you and I do. They do the hard work necessary to synthesize their own grades, and if there’s a prospect they love, they’ll go get him. No matter what the media thinks.