Philadelphia Eagles: 3 cornerbacks worth a Day 2 pick

Alright, so far we’ve talked about a man-press cornerback with good tape and great athletic measurables but not a lot of experience and a longer zone-press cornerback who isn’t as athletically gifted but has really long arms and an ability to be a unique performer around the line of scrimmage. How about someone who splits the difference?

Fortunately, there is a cornerback who fits that bill, and if you’re a fan of Penn State, you’ve already seen him play.

Measuring in at 6-foot-1, 197 pounds – notice a pattern yet? – Tariq Castro-Fields is yet another cornerback with press experience who could be deployed in a similar way to a first round talent like Kyle Gordon. While he doesn’t have Martin Emerson’s arm length, he ran a 4.38 40 at the combine and jumped out of the building with a 131-inch broad jump at PSU’s pro day, which ranks in the 92nd percentile according to PFF.

On paper, Castro-Fields should be every bit as exciting of a prospect as either of the players profiled above, but his tape shows a player with a much less polished game than one might hope coming out of college.

While his press coverage is solid, he hasn’t picked off a pass since 2019, has allowed 344 yards and a touchdown in 2021 on 27 catches, and missed an astounding 16 of his 55 potential tackles, which is good for a horrible missed tackle percentage of 29 percent.

Would I feel comfortable penciling in TCF as a starter right out of the gates? No, not unless he balls out in camp and during the preseason. Would I feel comfortable selecting him at pick 101 and pairing him up with a stopgap veteran cornerback like Xavier Rhodes to have an open competition at CB2 alongside Zech McPhearson and Tay Gowan?

Yes, I like that a lot.

Is there a Day 2 cornerback you think is a better fit in the Philadelphia Eagles’ scheme than the three players profiled above? Let us know!