Philadelphia Eagles: 3 cornerbacks worth a Day 2 pick

Cornerback might just be the hardest position to play, let alone develop, in the NFL.

Unlike at, say, wide receiver, where teams can cycle in as many as five different players in any given game without a second thought, cornerbacks, especially ones who deploy on the perimeter, are expected to play an entire game and hold up for as many as 80 snaps without making a mistake.

If a wide receiver makes a mistake, it results in a dropped pass, a broken play, or at worst an interception. If, by contrast, a cornerback turns their hips the wrong way or bites on a particularly clean double move, it could very well result in six points on the board.

Do teams occasionally find a steal of a deal at cornerback in the draft? Sure, both Josh Norman and Richard Sherman were fifth round picks and arguably served as two of the defining defensive backs of the last era of football, but if you look at the past dozen or so Pro Bowls, almost every cornerback voted in was selected within the first 60 picks of their respective drafts.

The Philadelphia Eagles have a few intriguing options on Day 2.

For the sake of argument, let’s say six cornerbacks are selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft: Derek Stingley Jr., Sauce Gardner, Trent McDuffie, Andrew Booth Jr., Kaiir Elam, and Kyler Gordon.

Could one of those players drop into the second round? You bet, the draft is a weird, weird thing, and seemingly every year a premier performer falls way further than some initially expected, from Aaron Rodgers to Hunter Bryant.

But who is the next crop of players who are likely out in the first round but could still prove to be valuable contributors when they take the field this fall? Well, here are three players who could fit that bill and be in play for the Philadelphia Eagles at picks 51, 83, and 101.