Philadelphia Eagles: Don’t forget the name Kary Vincent Jr.

Kery Vincent Jr. could be the Philadelphia Eagles’ next great slot cornerback.

Jalen Mills may be one of the more polarizing Philadelphia Eagles players in recent memory.

Some love his passion, his ‘tuffs’, and his effortless, finger-waggin’ swagger, while others cringe any time a ball is thrown in his direction due to his lack of deep speed, tight hips, and seeming inability to not commit a roughing the passer penalty anytime the ball is over five yards off the line.

Maybe a switch to strong safety will fix some of these issues, as allowing the divisive defensive back to freelance more frequently in the box could allow for more advantageous, Malcolm Jenkins-style plays around the line of scrimmage. Maybe switching from 31 to 21 is just what the doctor ordered and suddenly, like a miracle, Mills will wake up a changed man? He probably won’t, but replacing Jenkins with a similar player six years his junior is the sort of team-building philosophy that good teams often employ, even if it doesn’t always work out.

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With that in mind, it’s also possible the Eagles could be looking for the next Mills to replace the current Mills, as it’s hard to justify paying the former seventh-round pick an eight-figure deal at the tender age of 27 when they could just as easily sub him out for a younger, cheaper option available in the 2021 NFL Draft.

You know what, I think there’s a DB at Mills’ alma mater who would look fantastic in midnight green: Kary Vincent Jr.

Now sure, is it a tad premature to consider prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft when the Eagles literally just started practice with pads on today? Yes. However, Vincent is a topical, um, topic of conversation because he just officially announced his intentions to opt-out of the 2020 NCAA season, so in a way, his offseason starts now.

Makes sense to me.

Measuring in at 5-foot-10, 189 pounds, Vincent is a classic Geaux Tigers defensive back, and I mean that in the best way possible. Despite ‘slotting in’ almost exclusively on the interior of Ed Orgeron’s defensive formation, Vincent steadily rose up the ranks of LSU’s defensive hierarchy, going from a mostly special teamer as a rookie to a near-every-down back over his final two years in Baton Rouge.

In 2019 alone, Vincent recorded four interceptions, eight passes defensed, and a 47 total tackles over 15 collegiate games, the second, third, and seventh highest marks on a defense that featured six 2019 NFL Draft picks. His toughness was paramount in the Tigers’ postseason run and by effectively hanging up his yellow and purple cleats now, he’ll forever be able to call himself a walk-off champion.

And when the NFL does eventually turn its attention to player evaluation early next year, there will be plenty of teams who take a particular liking to Vincent, even if he may slide down boards just a hair for his lack of outside experience and non-existent senior year tape.

You know what that means Philly fans: Kary Vincent Jr. is (probably) going to drop in the draft and could become a Day 1 starter available between the second and fourth rounds.

Do the Philadelphia Eagles already have a slew of potential slot options in Nickel Robey-Coleman, Cre’von LeBlanc, and even native son safety Will Parks? Yes. Could the team view K’Von Wallace, another collegiate slot man with sky-high potential, as their long-term future at the position? That’s entirely possible, but at the point, should the Eagles really ever be that confident in their defensive back depth? Remember last summer, when fans dubbed the unit fixed because there was no way, zero, zilch, nada way that two starters couldn’t emerge from the collection of Mills, LeBlac, Rasul Douglas, Sidney Jones, Ronald Darby, and Avonte Maddox? Yeah, how did that work out?

Even if Wallace is the truth and develops into his Twitter profile picture, Wolverine II, wouldn’t it be too sweet to have him locked in at strong safety for the next half-decade paired up with a player like Vincent in the slot as his long-term partner in crime? Growing a young corps together, can the Eagles even do that? Is there some weird clause in the NFL rules that prevents such a venture?

Sidebar: Someone has to have told K’Von Wallace that Brian Dawkins‘ nickname was Weapon X, not the Wolverine, right? I’m all for a pair of Clemson safeties having ‘Marvelous’ nicknames, but come on man.

Like it or not, the nickel defense is the base defensive pack for basically every team in the NFL. While teams every now and then will try to buck the trend and invest heavily in fullbacks and a throwback style – *cough* the 49ers and Packers – there’s a reason slot-only wide receivers like Justin Jefferson are being selected in the first round of NFL Drafts without talent evaluators batting an eye. With an extended offseason to get his body right and avoid a career-altering injury, there’s little reason to believe Kary Vincent Jr. couldn’t follow in the long line of LSU cornerbacks who make the jump to the big leagues and dominates the NFL for years to come. If the Philadelphia Eagles are wise, they’ll catch this trend before it’s too late and lock up a good one before the prices of a lockdown slot cornerback become a first-round draft pick too.

And as for Jalen Mills? If hair color is a concern, there are other green teams in the NFL, like the New York Jets for example. I’m sure Joe Douglas would love to have his former starting cornerback back to help bolster one of the worst defensive backfields in the league. He is The Green Goblin, am I right?