Philadelphia Eagles: Grading the 2017 rookie draft class
CB Rasul Douglas, 3rd Rd
Rasul Douglas was the second cornerback the Eagles have selected in 2017. As they headed into the season with tons of concern for the secondary, it was not shocking at all to see them start to draft corners to add as much depth as possible. Around draft time, the only three veteran corners that had a legitimate shot at making the roster was Patrick Robinson, Jalen Mills, and Jaylen Watkins.
Even at that time, nobody knew what to expect. So in a panic move, the Eagles went out and traded for Ronald Darby who would eventually get injured during week one. When Darby went down, Douglas stepped in. At the beginning of the season, the Eagles had Douglas listed as an inactive. By Week Two, he was already getting reps as a starter.
Douglas was highly impressive in his debut. Sure, he had a few rookie mistakes along the way, but for the most part, he showed a ton of promise on the defense. So much promise that even people were calling to bench Darby for the rookie when he returned. Obviously, that would never happen, but that could only mean good things for Douglas’ future with the Eagles.