Philadelphia Eagles 2019 NFL Draft watch: Safety Johnathan Abram

We analyze Mel Kiper’s theory on what the Philadelphia Eagles might do at pick 25 with an in-depth look at Mississippi State safety Johnathan Abram.

Whether we, as Philadelphia Eagles fans, want to admit two things or not, they’re undeniably true. One, players like Brian Dawkins only come around once in a lifetime. That’s why thousands of guys have played in the NFL. That’s why only 318 guys are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Dawkins being one of them). Here’s the other thing. After ‘Weapon X’, whether fair or unfair, we as Eagles fans, wanted every safety on this team to look like ‘Dawk’. Enter Mississippi State safety Jonathan Abram.

It’s unfair to put any pressure on him at this point, but man. When you see the emotion and when you watch him hit someone, you think about him in a green jersey, and you think about, well…..

Let’s not do that. We’ll switch gears here for a second.

During the most recent NFL Combine, Abram ran a 4.45 40-yard dash. Watching him play with the Bulldogs a season ago made you think they had an extra linebacker on the field. He can cover when needed, but that should only be done sparingly. Over-usage of him in that area may lead to issues.

He likes to mix it up in the running game, and ball carriers, whether they be a halfback or a slot receiver catching passes over the middle all have their heads on swivels whenever Abram is around.

In his most recent mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Philly taking Abram at pick 25. Are you interested yet? Here’s what he had to say:

"Philadelphia has done a nice job filling holes this offseason. DeSean Jackson can replace Golden Tate. Malik Jackson is an upgrade on Haloti Ngata and company. at defensive tackle. Vinny Curry will help with Michael Bennett moving on. GM Howie Roseman hasn’t addressed the secondary, however, outside of bringing back Ronald Darby on a one-year deal, which means Philly could target a safety or corner in the first round or with one of its two second-round picks. Abram (5-foot-11, 205 pounds) is my top-ranked safety, a physical tackler who showed off 4.45 40-yard dash speed at the combine"

NFL.com, in their draft profile, compares him to Keanu Neal. Here’s what they had to say:

"Blunt force-striker with the measurables and play demeanor teams look for from a down safety with nickel linebacker qualities. Abrams did an admirable job in coverage in Mississippi State’s scheme but might not have the anticipation and ball skills to hold up in extended coverage duties. Abrams shines as a physical run defender with pursuit speed and energy to play sideline to sideline. He grades out as one of the better options for teams looking to deploy an effective “big nickel” defender near the box."

In his 33-game collegiate career, Abram racked up 195 total tackles (107 were solo), 15.5 tackles for a loss in yardage, five sacks, two interceptions, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Philly may not have seen anything like ‘Dawk’ before ‘Dawk’ or ever since (no disrespect to Malcolm Jenkins/ a Hall of Fame type of talent in his own right), but when you look at Abram and when you think about what Kiper says, it’s hard not to perk up. Might Philly go with a safety at pick 25? Time will tell.

Place this guy in your thoughts ladies and gentlemen. He’s definitely one that’s worth paying attention to.