Ranking best Eagles CB draft options after Ahmad Gardner, Derek Stingley

It’s time for the Eagles to invest some early-round draft capital in a cornerback.

Conversations about the Philadelphia Eagles‘ lack of respect for the linebacker position became monotonous a long time ago. How long have we been complaining about this? Since Andy Reid was pacing the sidelines?

What doesn’t get mentioned as often is the fact that Philly’s enthusiasm for investing early draft capital into improving their secondary doesn’t exceed their noticeable and blatant negligence for the linebacker position by a wide margin.

We know! We’ve heard this a million times. The Eagles haven’t taken a linebacker in the first round of any NFL Draft since they took Jerry Robinson out of UCLA back in 1979, but when was the last time they took a cornerback during the selection meeting’s opening night? You have to rewind the tape to the addition of Lito Sheppard 26th-overall in 2002.

Before that, we haven’t seen a defensive back taken by this team since they added Ben Smith in 1990 and Roynell Young in 1980. That’s it… That’s your list of first-round DBs taken by this proud organization. No one would complain if the jinx was broken with one of those first-rounders in 2022.

We expect Ahmad Gardner to be off of everyone’s big board early. We’ve heard rumors that Derek Stingley could surprise everyone and fall to Philly, but that isn’t a guarantee. They’re the cream of the crop though. They’re the best of the bunch. Once they’re off of the board, here are the best cornerbacks the Eagles will have to choose from.

Here are two SEC products that might interest the Eagles.

Heading into the most recent Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine, there were discussions that Kaiir Elam might struggle versus the speedier wide receivers that pro football has to offer. He needed a nice showing in the 40-yard dash to silence those discussions some, and he turned in one. How does 4.39 seconds sound?

It’s hard to imagine that anyone who runs that fas could ever have someone question his speed, but whatever.

Now, that we have that out of the way, we can discuss other things, like how well he played versus the Alabama Crimson Tide’s gifted receiver corps and the impressive six-foot-two, 196-pound frame. Some NFL team is going to be very happy if they land him.

Taking him in Round 1 would be a reach, but if he’s on the board in Round 2, he could be intriguing.

At five-foot-eleven and 189 pounds, all roads appear to lead to the slot corner position for former Auburn Tigers standout Roger McCreary. Avonte Maddox has the starting job sewn up for the Birds there, so there are the obligatory conversations about depth. Still, Philadelphia’s more pressing need is on the outside.

It’s doubtful that McCreary has any shot at landing with the Eagles, but many of the draft experts rank him ahead of Elam, so we’ll defer to their knowledge here.

We rank Eagles potential prospect Andrew Booth slightly behind Kyler Gordon.

We’ve seen mock drafts that have projected Clemson’s Andrew Booth to the Eagles at 15 and 16. There have been mocks that have him going to the Eagles at 19. Some projections have him going late in Round 1 and falling out of the first round entirely.

The reasons for that are mostly unknown except for the fact that, though this hasn’t been said often, there are questions about whether or not the pre-snap direction he could have been given had more to do with his on-field success than people are letting on.

Was Booth really that good or did great coaching and having good talent around him mask some of his deficiencies? The first-round grades for this young man are understandable, but if you’re slightly hesitant about ranking him above Kyler Gordon, easy arguments can be made to support those theories too.

Taking Kyler Gordon before the top 20 picks in the NFL Draft seems like a reach, but any theories in which he’s still on the board after the first 20 selections of Round 2 seem like they’re a little farfetched too. Here’s a young man that doesn’t get mentioned enough.

He’s six-foot-tall. He tips the scales at 200 pounds, and in his final season in Washington with the Huskies, this future star tallied 45 tackles, two interceptions, and seven pass breakups in his final 12 games at the collegiate level.

Daxton Hill and Trent McDuffie are the Eagles’ best options past Sauce and Stingley.

It’s almost disrespectful to see how often Daxton Hill has been ignored. He’s six-foot-tall and 192 pounds. He ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash. He can line up and cover outside and slot receivers. That versatility will serve him well at the professional level.

Write his name down if you haven’t already. Upon further review, we’re ready to place him in the top five of the best cornerbacks available. Yes, we’re ranking him ahead of Booth.

If the Washington Huskies ever find a way to recruit linebackers, offensive linemen, running backs, and wide receivers with the same mastery that they have for finding cornerbacks, this program might become the Alabama of the Pac-12. Add Trent McDuffie to a list of brilliant defensive backs that have come out of the Pacific-Northwest.

Now, we know what some of you Eagles fans are thinking. Sidney Jones has turned you off of Washington cornerbacks entirely, but saying you don’t want McDuffie because he and Jones share the same stomping grounds would be like saying the Eagles should never take another Alabama star because Freddie Milons didn’t work out.

Trust us on this one. Trent McDuffie is the real deal.

https://insidetheiggles.com/2022/04/03/eagles-ahmad-gardner-derek-stingley/

After the Sydney Jones debacle I'm not sure about Washington cornerbacks. 

Daxton Hill is a safety. 

Of the others I like Booth, Elam, and McCreary in that order. 

I also like the next group, all of whom are potential starters, just not this year - 

• Woolen 6'3" 4.26 but very raw and developmental 2nd 3rd, or 4th round
• Jobe 6'1" 4.49, You don't always get stars from Alabama but you rarely get a bust. 4th of 5th round
• Castro-Fields 6'0" 4.38 4th or 5th round
• Akayleb Evans 6'1" 4.45 4th or 5th round
• Armour-Davis 6'1" 4.39. Another Alabama product and some say a better prospect than Jobe 5th or 6th round

 

Do not want McGreary. He may be a good player but we don't need a slot. Maddox was very good in the slot last year and we don't need to see another failed experiment with him moving outside.

After Stingley and Sauce I like Booth.  Hoping that either one of the first two slide to 11 or 12 such that Howie can make a move to grab one (although guessing if we do make a move like that it will be for a DL) or that Booth is there for our 2nd pick in round 1.  

6 hours ago, time2rock said:

After Stingley and Sauce I like Booth.  Hoping that either one of the first two slide to 11 or 12 such that Howie can make a move to grab one (although guessing if we do make a move like that it will be for a DL) or that Booth is there for our 2nd pick in round 1.  

I hope if we do any more trading it's down not up. 

This article has zero credibility putting Hill at CB. 

Hill is a Safety primarily but based on how he was in Michigan's scheme he has positional versatility across every spot in the secondary which is huge in today's NFL.

I think the same is true of McDuffie but he is a inside/outside corner primarily with positional versatility across every spot in the secondary.

I like them both alot and would be happy if they became Eagles.  However, I don't like Hill with #15 or #18.  I am still uncertain about McDuffie that high but would be OK if they Eagles took him at #18.  The only corner I resoundingly like more is Sauce.  I have a lot of bust concerns with Stingley.

14 hours ago, Rob331 said:

I hope if we do any more trading it's down not up. 

My gut says there is a good chance Howie sees a DL fall to the 11-12 range and uses a 3rd to move up for him.  But perhaps we see a trade back from 18 to acquire more picks.  Maybe Detroit has their eyes on a QB and moves up from 34 - it would likely get us 34, their 2022 3rd, and a 2023 3rd in return.