3 Top Prospects Who Could Surprisingly Fall to the Eagles at No. 22

After an exciting free agency period that saw the Philadelphia Eagles upgrade their defense and pick up one of the best running backs in the league, the team will now prepare for the 2024 NFL Draft, which will be pivotal for their short-term and long-term success.

Over the last couple of years, the Eagles have emphasized the defense in the first round, taking Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Nolan Smith Jr. The book hasn’t been written yet on these three players, but the Eagles hope they can be building blocks of the future.

Fast forward to this year’s draft, where the Eagles have the No. 22 overall pick and could go in different directions. Philadelphia could take an offensive or defensive lineman at No. 22, which is great news for them as there are a lot of good prospects in the trenches.

Below, we’ll look at a few prospects that could fall to the Eagles at 22nd overall, especially with the possibility of a run on wide receivers and quarterbacks in the first round.

1. Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama

There’s a possibility that McKinstry could be the fourth cornerback off the board behind Terrion Arnold, Quinyon Mitchell, and Cooper DeJean.

Early in the draft process, Eagles fans loved the idea of the team drafting Mitchell and DeJean, but it's unlikely those two will fall to No. 22 after their performances during the pre-draft process.

That said, McKinstry isn’t a bad consolation prize as Philadelphia could get a starting-caliber cornerback to replace James Bradberry. Last year, the Eagles drafted Kelee Ringo in the fourth round, who started late in the season for an injured Darius Slay.

The 5-foot-11 cornerback has great athleticism and did a phenomenal job in pass coverage last season at Alabama. McKinstry produced 10 incompletions and only allowed 19 receptions, per Pro Football Focus. He also posted 32 total tackles, seven pass deflections, and two tackles for loss.

McKinstry didn’t have a lot of interceptions in his collegiate career (two), which might give some fans a pause for concern. However, when healthy, the former Crimson Tide cornerback is one of the best defenders in the country.

McKinstry is rehabbing from a Jones fracture but is expected to be ready for training camp. We know the Eagles love to grab OL and DL men. But if they feel McKinstry could be a starter early in his career, they might surprise us and take him at No. 22.