10 Cornerbacks that must be placed on the Eagles' draft board

The Eagles must take a cornerback in the upcoming draft, and they need to take one early.

Here is the depth chart at cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles. Their top three guys at the position are Nolan Carroll, Leodis McKelvin and Jalen Mills. This has been stated over and over for a while, and we’re going to state it again. Carroll is set to become an unrestricted free agent on March 9th. He’s viewed as the team’s best corner. Behind him is McKelvin whose best years came under Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz when both were with the Buffalo Bills.

Mills rounds out the top three guys at the position on the team’s depth chart. Coming into his rookie season, he was seen as a steal. He gave the Eagles depth going into training camp and sparked a lot of interest because he was drafted in a later round but seen to have second-round level talent. To say Carroll, McKelvin and Mills gave fans of this team fits doesn’t do the frustration they caused justice, but here we are. 16 regular season games have evaporated, and we’re back in the same position.

The Eagles need help at the cornerback position.

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Talents like Western Michigan Broncos wide receiver Corey Davis and Ohio State Buckeyes hybrid Curtis Samuel are being projected to go in the second or third round, so you have to feel like this is a pretty deep draft for wide receivers. Receivers also get the ball, on average, about five or six times a game, and cornerbacks have more of an ability to influence each play an opposing offense runs. McKelvin has one year remaining on his deal with Philadelphia, and if the Eagles lose Carroll in free agency, the need for a cornerback increases drastically.

We expect Alabama Crimson Tide standout Marlon Humphrey to be off of the board by the time the Eagles make their selection, so here are ten cornerbacks we’ve identified that the Eagles need to place on their draft board (in no particular order):

1. Quincy Wilson, Florida Gators

Regardless of what happens in “The Swamp”, the gators continue to churn out quality NFL talent, and Wilson may be the second-best corner in this draft behind Humphrey.

2. Marshon Lattimore, Ohio State Buckeyes

Lattimore could step in on game one of the 2017 season as the number one corner for quite a few NFL squads. He’s definitely worth giving a few looks.

3. Adoree’ Jackson, USC Trojans

Jackson put an impressive tape together in his final season at USC. He returned punts and kickoffs for touchdowns, caught a touchdown pass while playing on offense and can turn the game on any play. The only knock is he’s 5’11.

4. Sidney Jones, Washington Huskies

Jones can pick off opposing quarterbacks and separate ball carriers from the pigskin. He’s also a big guy, standing at about 6’0 and weighing in at 181 pounds

5. Gareon Conley, Ohio State Buckeyes

Conley would have been talked about more if he hadn’t played with Lattimore, but he’s a tremendous talent. Some teams even believe he has the talent to be taken on day one.

6. Jalen Tabor, Florida Gators

Some believe Tabor is better suited to play at the nickel position in the NFL. He’s a big guy but isn’t very fast and could struggle with faster wide receivers.

10. Desmond King, Iowa Hawkeyes

We’re not sure King will remain at the cornerback position. At 5’11 and 200 pounds, he may be better suited to play safety. We shall soon see.

Honorable Mention:

Cameron Sutton of the Tennessee Volunteers, Dwayne Thomas of the LSU Tigers and Chidobe Awuzie of the Colorado Buffaloes

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10 Cornerbacks that must be placed on the Eagles’ draft board

By Geoffrey Knox | Jan 16, 2017