Philadelphia Eagles: A deep look into potential 2019 NFL Draft picks

Safety

Finally (seriously finally) we come to the safeties, although the team has Rodney McLeod and Malcolm Jenkins as their starters, McLeod is on a one year deal, and Jenkins is only going to get older.  On the bench, the team has the previously mentioned Avonte Maddox and Andrew Sendejo who is 31 years old. The Philadelphia Eagles could definitely take a safety at any point in the draft, even with their first pick.

The first safety to look out for is Johnathan Abram out of Mississippi State who is slated to go in the first or second round. Abram started 13 games in 2018 and racked up 99 tackles leading the team as well as having three sacks, a forced fumble, five pass breakups, and two interceptions. He is praised for being able to play hard-nosed and even being able to serve as an extra linebacker as well as having closing speed and good communication in the secondary.

The next safety to look for projected for the second round, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson out of Florida. In 11 starts in his junior year, he had 71 tackles, three sacks, and even a team-high in interceptions with four. As a big athletic safety, he can be used to blitz and guard bigger receivers and tight ends.

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However, he is said to be a tad slow to challenge the ball and can be caught too far back in the backpedal. Still, he’s said to have a quick burst that gives him above average make-up speed.

A name that’s been linked to the Eagles is a safety that is projected to go in the second or third round out of Delaware, Nasir Adderley.

Adderley is a Philadelphia native that started each game his rookie season in college and never slowed down. As a first team all-conference player in 2018 he had 87 tackles, seven passes defends, and a team-leading four interceptions, as well as five returned kicks for 149 yards and one touchdown. Adderley has experience at corner and safety and is said to actually have inconsistencies on his read at safety.

However, he is praised as explosive but smooth with proper low tackling technique. He also can move his hips easily and has the speed to cover over top of the field and is even categorized as a high-point ball hawk. However, on the other side, he also said to over commit as well as lock in on a target rather than examine the entire field.

A fourth or fifth round prospect for the Philadelphia Eagles is Marvell Tell out of USC. Tell started in every game since 2016 and in 2018 he gathered 57 tackles, defended five passes, picking off one. Although Tell has a good speed concerns come in due to his thin size. Although he is quick and agile with versatility and a natural feel as a blitzer. On the other side, there are concerns about his tackling and field awareness as well as being labeled the nail and not the hammer during a tackle. Even with this, he’s still praised for being able to read routes and breaks as well as good burst on slants and crossing routes.

Next is a fifth or sixth round pick prospect out of Colorado, Evan Worthington.

In his senior year, Worthington suffered a concussion and only started nine games but still managed to tally up 48 tackles, six pass breakups, and an interception. Worthington is said to have NFL ready size and has the ability to play at either safety position as well as a nickel. He’s also said to close in quickly and get the tackle before there are many yards after the catch as well as being able to get high up in the air to contest the ball at it’s highest point.

However, his work ethic has come into question at times, and he was suspended the entire season in 2016 for a violation of team rules. He also missed time as a freshman and senior due to concussions and is said to glue his eyes on a target downfield and doesn’t get his head around.

The last player being looked at is a sixth or seventh round prospect born in New Jersey and attended Rutgers, Saquan Hampton.

Right off the bat, it’s said Hampton showed potential to be a star but suffered injuries to both of his shoulders his sophomore and junior year. However Hampton’s entire senior season was spent healthy, and he led his conference with 1.3 passes defended a game, 13 pass breakups, and three interceptions, as well as 65 tackles. Hampton is hailed as a team leader and is an aid to be an above average ball tracker and physical enough to pry the ball loose from a receiver’s arms.

However he is knocked for rarely racing downhill, has below average speed and range, as well as allowing easy catches to off-man slot receivers. Still, he is said to attack the ball side of a target and tries to impact the catch as well as having a consistent history in special teams roles.