The Eagles' safety position was a bit of an adventure last season, as the team dealt with multiple injuries throughout the year, leading to what felt like a switch in personnel almost every week.
While clearly hoping for better health this year at the position, the reality is that the Eagles also need to start thinking about the future of the position. Safety Malcolm Jenkins is the MVP of the defense and has showed no signs of slowing down. Outside of Jenkins, the Eagles enter 2019 with Rodney McLeod back under contract, but coming off of a torn ACL. They also have Andrew Sendejo and Tre Sullivan, two players that are question marks heading into the new season.
The uncertainty at the position will leave the Eagles looking to not only fill up crucial snaps at the safety spot next season, but needing to plan ahead as well.
In an ideal world, the Eagles would have a third safety that can play a large amount of snaps in 2019. In 2017, when everyone was healthy, Jenkins played 947 snaps, McLeod played 844 and Corey Graham played 367 as the third safety. That is likely a blueprint the Eagles want to duplicate next year.
One quality the Eagles will always keep in mind when looking for a safety is an ability to move up to the line of scrimmage and play in man coverage if needed. Last season, Jenkins was in the slot for 230 snaps and Graham for 59 snaps. McLeod, who played deep down the field, was on the line as a nickel cornerback just 11 snaps in three games.
With all of that in mind, here are six safeties the Eagles could target in the 2019 NFL Draft:
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Florida: On paper, Gardner-Johnson seems to have everything the Eagles would want in a safety prospect. He has good size at 6-foot, 205 pounds. He is quick and an excellent tackler who is very willing to be physical in the run game. What will really stand out to the Eagles about Gardner-Johnson though is that he spent 91% of his snaps last season up on the line as a nickel cornerback. Gardner-Johnson would bring great versatility to the Eagles' secondary and they could move him all over the field. He is a prime target for them with one of their second-round picks.
Projected Round: 2nd
Jonathan Abram, Mississippi State: Abram is not as strong in man-coverage right now as Gardner-Johnson, and spent just 30% of his snaps last season up on the line at nickel cornerback. There is reason to believe he could be coached up, however, as he has good speed and size for the safety position. Abram is extremely strong around the line of scrimmage and could be used as right away as a defensive weapon for Jim Schwartz, who could either have him play deep or put him up on the line as a potential blitzer.
Projected Round: Late 1st/Early 2nd
Jaquan Johnson, Miami: Johnson, 5-foot-10, 186 pounds, is kind of a hybrid between McLeod and Jenkins, although he doesn't have the elite coverage skills Jenkins does just yet. Johnson had 17 pass breakups in 48 targets during his college career, with 17% of his snaps coming at nickel cornerback. Johnson is a playmaker, as he had seven interceptions in three seasons. Johnson is strong against the run and a solid tackler. Multiple scouting reports list Johnson's leadership qualities, something that will likely be very attractive to the Eagles.
Projected Round: 3rd
Amani Hooker, Iowa: Hooker, 5-foot-11, 210 pounds, is similar to Gardner-Johnson in that he spent the majority of his final season in college at nickel cornerback, spending 69% of his snaps at the line of scrimmage. Hooker is strong in zone coverage, which could be appealing to the Eagles for their third safety next season. The question with Hooker is whether he can project to an eventual starter.
Projected Round: 3rd
Mike Edwards, Kentucky: Edwards, 5-10, 204 pounds, is a late-round prospect that currently does a lot of things good, but nothing great. Edwards played a lot of different roles for Kentucky, spending some time at the line of scrimmage, playing deep occasionally and even lining up a nickel cornerback for a good junk of snaps (46%). The Eagles will likely be attracted to his versatility. The question is whether they feel he can do one thing well enough to carve out a role on the defense.
Projected Round: 5th
*** Note: Information from Sports Info Solutions was used for this article ***
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
