Philadelphia Eagles: K’Von Wallace is a coverage upgrade in the slot
As coverage becomes more important with each passing year, the Philadelphia Eagles locked up their slot corner of the future in Clemson safety K’Von Wallace.
After prioritizing developmental upside on Day 2, the Philadelphia Eagles used their first pick on a loaded Day 3 still chock-full of talent on a player with 45 games of college experience in Clemson safety K’Von Wallace.
Though, to be fair, calling Wallace a safety is kind of a knock on his game.
A three-year starter in the Tigers’ absolutely loaded defensive backfield that features three other 2020 draftees in Isaiah Simmons, A.J. Terrell, and Tanner Muse, Wallace was used as a do-it-all defensive back on the interior; splitting time in the box at strong safety and as a cornerback tasked with covering the slot.
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With good eyes, a natural feel for zone, and an ability to stick with his man in one-on-one press coverage, Terrell finished out his Clemson career with 156 total tackles, two sacks, five interceptions, and 15 passes defensed.
Wallace also recorded a sweet pick-six against Charlotte that you should check out here.
Is Wallace the next Malcolm Jenkins? I mean, no, probably not, but in theory, the duo could be used in the same sort of way, with Wallace playing strong safety in base and kicking inside when opposing teams go three-wide.
In the modern NFL, where 11 personnel is the new base package for 25 or so teams, a defense is only as good at its fifth defensive back.
As a rookie, Wallace may not be able to beat out Jalen Mills, Will Parks, and Nickell Robey-Coleman for consistent playing time, but all three of those players are set to hit the open market in 2021, so there is a natural path for the do-it-all DB to take on an expansive role and run with it for the majority of his rookie contract.
Simply put, this is the kind of player the Eagles should be taking in the fourth round. Wallace may not play a position of need and may do little to affect the team’s win-loss record in 2020 outside of a few tackles on special teams, but unlike Philly’s third-round pick, Davion Taylor, he is a polished professional coverage player who wore a ton of hats on one of the best teams in the nation.
Heck, the Eagles could even deploy Wallace as a blitzer on the rare occasion Jim Schwartz wants to bring some additional heat off the edge. If he can do so effectively, maybe that could become a more consistent part of the Eagles’ otherwise vanilla front four pass rush.
Rushing five? Could you even imagine?
Next. Did the Philadelphia Eagles draft Jalen Hurts to keep him from Dallas?. dark
While adding a mid-round safety isn’t going to make most fans forget about Howie Roseman‘s decision to draft Jalen Hurts with the 53rd overall pick, this is the kind of move the Eagles need to make with their three fourth-round picks, as a team can never have enough young, starting-caliber defenders, especially ones who provide upgrades in coverage.