2019 NFL Draft: DraftWire Projects Philadelphia Eagles’ first five picks
Round 1, Pick 25
Byron Murphy, CB, Washington
DW’s Take: “The Eagles have bigger needs than corner, but passing up a complete player like Murphy would be difficult. While he lacks the elite physical tools of other corners in this class, Murphy’s instincts, intelligence and ball skills set him apart.”
Why did we highlight the cornerback position as a potentially shocking pick for the Eagles? Simply because of this mock. Last week, if you were to ask if the Eagles were going to take a cornerback in the first round, I would’ve simply said: “absolutely not.” But the more that I see it, I begin to put it all together and make sense of it. This draft is very ‘trench-heavy’ in the first round. As Howie Roseman said, “this draft is historial when it comes to lineman.”
There’s going to be a ton of picks for the big men early. Not to mention, the quarterback-needy teams will reach on multiple passers in the first round as well, sending prime talent back further into the draft. So it’s not like the Eagles have a need for a cornerback considering the number of guys they already have.
But if one their top-rated player is a corner that dropped to 25, then the pick shouldn’t be ruled out just because cornerback isn’t an immediate need. As I mentioned before, nobody is untouchable. The Eagles have decent talent at cornerback, but nobody is of elite status. If they can flip one of these veterans for some solid value, and get a prominent rookie cornerback, why not? Nothing should be ruled out for them at this point.