The Philadelphia Eagles would benefit from drafting multiple CBs this year
By David Esser
Even if the Philadelphia Eagles decide to draft someone like Jaycee Horn or Patrick Surtain II with their first-round selection, the team would be very wise to double, or even triple up on the position during this year’s NFL Draft. Not only do the Eagles have one of the least talented cornerback rooms in the league at the moment, but they also have one of the shallowest cornerback rooms in the NFL.
As of April 11th, this is how the team’s depth chart is shaping up at CB:
- Darius Slay
- Avonte Maddox
- Craig James
- Kevon Seymour
- Michael Jacquet
- Jameson Houston
- Shakai Taylor
- Lavert Hill
Not great!
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While guys like Maddox and James might have a hint of potential left inside of them, the rest of the depth chart is pretty barren looking. A majority of these players are practice squad call-ups from last season, and would ideally end up back there for the 2021 season.
Shakai Taylor mildly interests me, as he’s an ex-Colt who was picked up off waivers earlier in the offseason. His past relationship with new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon could help him earn a roster spot during training camp, but I wouldn’t hold my breath on the matter.
The Philadelphia Eagles need to overhaul their CB depth via the draft.
Understanding just how poor the team’s cornerback depth is at the moment, investing heavily into the position during this year’s NFL Draft would make an abundance of sense. Howie Roseman hasn’t selected a CB in the draft since Maddox in 2018, and he hasn’t taken multiple CBs in a single class since 2017, when he selected both Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas.
Set to own 11 picks in this year’s draft, now would be the perfect time to aggressively reinvest into the position. Cornerbacks typically take 1-2 seasons to fully get accustomed to playing at the professional level, so getting them into the organization sooner rather than later is preferred. Throw in the fact that the Eagles are going to have plenty of playing time to go around at CB in 2021, and giving Gannon multiple options to experiment with would be ideal.
It’s unlikely that Roseman would use more than one Day 1/Day 2 pick on a cornerback this spring (he has plenty of other holes to fill), but doubling-dipping on the position on Day 3 makes a ton of sense. Players like Oregon’s Thomas Graham Jr. or North Carolina Central’s Bryan Mills specifically stick out to me as late-round prospects who could fill in on the boundary.
It’s been heavily rumored that the Philadelphia Eagles really like CB Jaycee Horn, and the likelihood that he’ll be available to them at pick 12 seems rather high. While Horn undoubtedly fills one major hole in the team’s secondary (starting alongside Slay), the rest of the depth chart still needs some serious addressing.
Next. Philadelphia Eagles: Predicting what the team’s “big board” looks like at 12. dark
The team has no real backup outside corner, zero backup slot corners, and Avonte Maddox is no sure thing as a starter himself. Taking as many swings as possible at the position during this year’s draft could at least give Gannon the opportunity to build a serviceable secondary moving forward, saving the team from having to spend big money on CBs during next year’s free agency period.