Philadelphia Eagles Draft Keys On Cornerback

Oct 12, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles strong safety

(29) and cornerback

(37) and free safety

(28) walk back to the bench after a defensive stop against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Giants 27-0. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Eagles have struggled in the defensive backfield for years. It’s not a surprise if you examine the team’s draft history.   The last time the Eagles addressed the cornerback position with the 1st pick of the NFL draft was 2002 with  cornerback Lito Sheppard.  The followed that with safety Michael Lewis in the 2nd round and cornerback Sheldon Brown in the 3rd round.   They tried to repeat the magic in 2004 (2nd and 3rd rounds) and finally in 2010 (2nd round).   But meaningful long term quality for the Eagles has not come in free agency, but through the draft.  And while some teams and some positions can find quality in later rounds, the Eagles have had their most success in both the first and second rounds at the position.

There is a reality in the NFL.  To get to the Super Bowl, you need cornerbacks.  The Philadelphia Eagles know this all too well.  They’ve appeared twice.   In 1981, they had a pair of pretty good cornerbacks in Herman Edwards and Roynell Young.   In 2005, they fielded cornerbacks another pair of good cornerbacks in Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown.  To a fan who has lived through both, those names are familiar and honored.   And to a fan base who has yearned for a champion, we know full well that the key to the 2015 Eagles NFL draft is cornerback

So that’s where we are now, which means the 2015 NFL draft.  To fix this perennial problem, the team has to focus on the position in the draft.  Let’s examine eight of the taller cornerback prospects who could don an Eagles jersey in 2015 in the next slides: