Throughout #MockDraftSzn so far, whenever a draft experts predicts the Eagles will take a cornerback with the No. 25 overall pick, the prediction is met almost universally from fans with confusion and laughter.
It shouldn't be.
What the Eagles will do with No. 25 overall remains to be seen, but the idea of them taking a cornerback is not at all crazy, and the position is likely on the team's short list with their first selection.
To start, cornerback is a position top personnel executive Howie Roseman has always valued. He has drafted more players in the secondary during his time running the draft than any other position. He dealt away a third-round pick for cornerback Ronald Darby. The Eagles' franchise believes you win by throwing the ball, and the flip side of that is they know stopping the pass is also crucial. With how much defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz loves to put his cornerbacks on islands, having elite, shutdown cornerbacks is important to the Eagles. It is why they have spent so many resources trying to find one.
There is no denying the Eagles enter the 2019 season fairly loaded with young talent at cornerback. Jalen Mills, Ronald Darby, Avonte Maddox, Rasul Douglas, Cre'von LeBlanc and Sidney Jones all go into next season with plenty of potential and upside. If all play up to their potential the Eagles are going to be stacked at cornerback next season.
There is also no denying the six cornerbacks also go into next season with plenty of questions for both 2019 and beyond.
Mills, Darby and LeBlanc are all set to become free agents after this season. Only Maddox is signed beyond 2020. That is important, as young, healthy cornerbacks get paid on the open market. Even Darby, who has been fairly inconsistent and entered free agency coming of off a torn ACL, got a deal worth up to $8 million in one year. As the Eagles plan to sign quarterback Carson Wentz to a long-term contract — something that could happen very soon — having elite-level talent at cornerback on rookie deals will be extremely valuable.
The Eagles won't have many — if any — of those players on their roster in 2020. Of the six, only Mills has been a consistent starting cornerback for more than one season in the NFL— and he is nursing a foot injury this offseason. The rest are either injured, unproven or haven't played at a high level consistently so far in their carer. Rasul Douglas might be the closest thing the Eagles have to a dependable cornerback, but they have for some reason shown a refusal to give him playing time.
That reality means that as bright as things might look now at cornerback, they could be looking a lot different by the time the season ends. They could even be looking bleak earlier than that if Jones doesn't improve from his play last season, or Darby and Mills take longer than expected to return from his 2018 season-ending injuries.
Cornerback is not only in many ways a long-term need for this team, but it is arguably a need for them next season as well. Addressing the sitiuation the Eagles currently have at cornerback is exactly what the NFL Draft is for.
The Eagles might very well feel the same, as they have used at least three of their 30 pre-draft visits on cornerbacks. One of those visits was reportedly used on Georgia cornerback DeAndre Baker, who is projected to go in the first round, right around when the Eagles go on the clock. Penn State cornerback Amani Oruwariye, who is projected to go either at the end of the first round or the top of the second, has also made a trip to Philadelphia for a visit.
Who the Eagles take in the first round will largely depend on how the draft board breaks, but throughout his time here, Roseman has shown he leans towards certain positions. The team will likely look to take a defensive linemen first if possible. They then will look to the offensive line.
If their board doesn't match what is available at those positions, however, it would not be surprising at all if the team went with a cornerback with their first pick.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
