Jeremy Reaves could be this year’s Corey Clement
Undrafted free agent defensive back Jeremy Reaves could follow the Corey Clement path and see significant playing time in 2018 for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Almost anyone in tune with the NFL will tell you that once the last pick of the NFL Draft is announced, the real work begins. In some sense, the period to sign undrafted free agents after the draft is more difficult because players have their choice of teams to sign with. The Philadelphia Eagles have hit home runs during this process with players like Corey Clement and Trey Burton. Both of those players were significant contributors to the Eagles’ Super Bowl run. This year Philadelphia has the potential to nail the process again with free agent corner Jeremy Reaves.
Who is Jeremy Reaves?
The casual fan might not be as familiar with Reaves as others. He played his college ball at the University South Alabama (USA) which isn’t exactly a powerhouse in the vein of Florida State or Oklahoma. Still, Reaves put up some huge numbers. His career stat lines includes 301 total tackles (20.5 of those were for negative yardage), eight interceptions, 22 passes defended, 1.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
As you can see, he made an impact in almost every facet of the game. If you turn on the tape, you see a high-motor player who is always around the ball. He lined up at safety, corner, and linebacker in some sets, so he is very versatile.
Reaves has pretty good size for a safety at five-foot-eleven and 205 pounds. He has average speed though, clocking in with a 4.66 forty time at his pro day.
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What he does really well is stick his nose in and make tackles. Not many defensive backs are as willing to make tackles as Reaves is. He can lay the wood, but he can also, sometimes, come in a little too quickly and miss.
On passing plays, he does well in man coverage and and also does a good job of reading the QB’s eyes in zone. Overall, the kid is just a flat out ball player that has a great nose for the football. The reason he may have fallen on boards could be due to the school that he played for. Then again, it could also be his lack of elite size. Whatever the case, the Eagles believe Reaves could be of some benefit.
Philadelphia Eagles
How he fits with the Eagles
One of the areas of need that was not addressed in the draft by the Eagles was the safety position. The starters are known, Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod, but there’s no depth behind them.
Right now, the Eagles have four safeties on the roster. Outside of Jenkins and McLeod, there’s Chris Maragos and Tre Sullivan.
Maragos is rehabbing from injury and mainly played on special teams. Sullivan showed a lot of potential in the preseason, but he ultimately ended up on the practice squad. The Eagles played with three safeties quite a bit during the 2017 season. That means whoever claims that spot could see a lot of action.
Reaves fits the mold of an Eagles defensive back. He is a versatile playmaker who isn’t afraid to mix it up in the run game. He’s played both corner and safety (similar to Malcolm Jenkins). He’s also shown that he is an effective tackler.
Reaves could end up being a chess piece that Jim Schwartz moves around on defense, the same role that Corey Graham played last year when Jenkins played in the slot. That presents a huge opportunity.
Then again, they could also leave Jenkins up high and have Reaves play the slot since he has cornerback experience. As you can see, there are numerous places where Reaves could make an impact.
Big time players make big time plays
There are a lot of things that you can coach, but playmaking ability isn’t one of them. Reaves has shown the ability to make plays throughout his collegiate career, and he could end up having an impact similar to what Corey Clement did.
He’ll have a phenomenal coaching staff and veteran leadership to help him reach his full potential. If he does that, then we might see another undrafted free agent become a star.