The Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl last January and a big reason has been their success in the NFL Draft. General manager Howie Roseman has dominated the league’s annual showcase, fielding 14 homegrown starters in February’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs. But the Eagles’ next challenge will be to keep that luck going in next week’s draft.
The Eagles are armed with eight picks as they head to Green Bay and one objective is to add depth to some of their weakest areas. One of those is in the secondary even with the dual home runs of Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell in the first two selections of last year’s draft and it could lead the Eagles to a high-risk, high-reward prospect that will be making his way to Philadelphia in the coming days.
Eagles Bring In Former Minnesota Cornerback Justin Walley For Top 30 Draft Visit
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane, the Eagles are hosting Minnesota cornerback Justin Walley and Navy safety Rayuan Lane III for pre-draft visits on Wednesday. While Lane counts as a local visit, Walley is the final prospect on the list of top 30 visits before the draft, making him an intriguing target later in the draft.
Minnesota CB Justin Walley and Navy safety Rayuan Lane III are schedule to visit with the #Eagles today, per sources.
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) April 16, 2025
Walley is the last of the team’s top 30 visits before the NFL draft. Lane counts as a local visit.
Walley is a veteran for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, making 40 starts in Big Ten play. He racked up seven interceptions and 27 pass deflections during his time in Minnesota but he also showed a willingness to get involved in stopping the run with 155 total tackles over four seasons.
The 22-year-old turned heads with a 4.4 second time in the 40-yard dash with a 10-yard split of 1.52 seconds during the NFL Scouting Combine and has played well in coverage with a Pro Football Focus grade over 70 in three of his four seasons.
But while there’s a lot to like about Walley, there are some drawbacks. The 33rd Team’s scouting report on Walley points out that his aggressive style in coverage is prone to big plays and he allowed 17.2 yards per reception in his final year at Minnesota. The Mississippi native also has been subject to penalties with 12 calls on 961 coverage snaps during his career.
“Walley’s aggression can get the better of him in a number of phases of the position,” Kyle Crabbs of The 33rd Team explained. “He can, at times, be too aggressive at the top of routes and will fail to trust his technique to mirror and plaster breaks. In these instances, his hands can be overactive, and he could tempt officials to throw flags."
Crabbs goes on to project Walley as a developmental cornerback and a sixth-round pick. He also believes that Walley would project well as a nickel cornerback, which could help Philadelphia add depth behind DeJean.
Either way, Walley allowed a 57.8 passer rating in coverage last season with 23 receptions on 55 targets. If he’s available for Philadelphia late in the draft, he could be a solid target.