Philadelphia Eagles: 3 Senior Bowl defensive prospects to keep an eye on

In 2020, the Philadelphia Eagles‘ offense was bad.

Sure, some of that was due to Doug Pederson’s unimaginative offensive play calling and some of it was due to a near-constant string of injuries that resulted in 13 different offensive linemen logging snaps, but it’s hard to argue that the Eagles are a team loaded up with offensive talent.

Howie Roseman hasn’t drafted a Pro Bowler regardless of position since Carson Wentz in 2016, hasn’t signed a free agent Pro Bowler since Alshon Jeffery – who technically earned his Pro Bowl nod as a member of the Chicago Bears in 2013 – and really hasn’t added an impactful offensive player to the team post-Super Bowl outside of Miles Sanders and Dallas Goedert – neither of whom were particularly impactful in 2020 due to injury and ineffective playcalling.

But as hard as it may be to admit, the Eagles’ offense is surely much further along than their defense heading into 2021.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ defense needs an infusion of talent in 2021.

With first-year defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon now set to take over for Jim Schwartz, the Philadelphia Eagles are going to need to retool their personnel to better fit what the ex-Colts’ defensive backs coach likes to do.

While it’s not too hard to project roles for players like Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Darius Slay, Rodney McLeod, and even rookie-scale players like Josh Sweat and Alex Singleton, the Eagles are going to have to fill out the depth chart with defensive players who fit into Gannon’s preferred Cover 2 look with a one-gapping 4-3 front.

While the Eagles could opt to address CB2 at the top of the draft with a player like Patrick Surtain II or a do-it-all front-seven player like Micah Parsons, there are players to be had on Day 2 or even Day 3 who could immediately compete for playing time right out of the gate as rookies.

Fortunately, the Senior Bowl was jam-packed with worthy contenders who could immediately fill out the Eagles’ depth chart and give incumbent players a run for their money under a new coaching staff where everyone is on a level playing field.

While Ifeatu Melifonwu may have garnered the national headlines coming out of the Senior Bowl for his incredible size and athletic abilities, Keith Taylor popped just as much on the tape, maybe even more.

Measuring in at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds with long legs and a wiry frame, Taylor is a massive cornerback who looked every bit the part of a modern-day NFL press cornerback. Though he’s comically bad at playing the ball in the air, oftentimes hand-fighting with the ball/receiver instead of trying to pick it off, Taylor’s zero career interceptions really aren’t that worrisome.

The Eagles drafted Eric Rowe in the second round out of a Pac-12 school in 2015 – albeit, under the watchful eye of then-GM Chip Kelly – and he only had two interceptions in 47 games of action. Who’s to say Taylor wouldn’t have recorded a pair of picks if he played 18 more games? Probably not, as Taylor seldom came close to picking off a pass in the scheme that made Sidney Jones a star, but he could be utilized in a similar way to how Kelly envisioned Rowe coming out of college or how Bill Belichick ultimately utilized Rowe as a matchup-DB in New England.

Taylor played inside cornerback, outside cornerback, and even dime linebacker in the Huskies’ defense over his four seasons in Seattle – surely he could find some role in John Gannon’s defensive secondary, even if he ultimately fails to become the lockdown outside cornerback Philly needs to pair up with Darius Slay moving forward.

But between you and me, I like Taylor’s chances to not only make the squad as a top-3 outside cornerback but maybe even start outright if the Eagles are unable to secure a premium option like Caleb Farley earlier in the draft or via a free agency addition like Xavier Rhodes. Taylor has fantastic size, good eyes, and a pension for being in the right position more often than not. While some may question his deep speed and lack of ball skills, Taylor is ‘TaylorMade’ to play outside cornerback in a Cover 2 scheme, which just so happens to be what Matt Eberflus liked to run paired up with Gannon in Indianapolis.

Pro comp: Big City Eric Rowe