Eagles take K’Von Wallace at 127 in NFL Draft: 3 Immediate reactions
With the 127th-overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Eagles selected K’Von Wallace, a safety out of Clemson. The word nostalgia comes to mind.
Once upon a time, the Philadelphia Eagles took a safety out of Clemson, and things worked out pretty well. His name was Brian Dawkins. The result of his selection was a Pro Football Hall of Fame career and seven Pro Bowl nods in an Eagles jersey. On the 2020 NFL Draft’s third day, while much of Philadelphia’s fan base was in mourning, the “Birds” took another safety from that other “Death Valley”. His name is K’Von Wallace.
Just like that, it just feels like this team’s defense is better already with his addition and the addition of Davion Taylor in Round 3. If you were one of those people that wanted depth at safety, fear not. Depth has arrived.
Here are three immediate reactions.
1. You’re not feeling the Brian Dawkins reference, are you?
While some may not like any reference to Brian Dawkins when mentioning any young player (and rightfully so), it’s hard not to think about Wallace without remembering “20”. Both played in Clemson’s program. Both are safeties. Both have immense talent.
Wallace has a long way to go before he’s mentioned in the same breath with “Dawk”, but if he’s a third of what “Weapon X” was, and he very well may be, Philly gets a steal in Round 4. The new guy just can’t wear the number 20 for obvious reasons.
2. Let’s look at some numbers.
Wallace paid dividends for the Tigers almost immediately. In four seasons and 45 career games, he racked up 156 total tackles (108 were solo), two sacks, five picks, 15 pass breakups, and two forced fumbles.
Philly just got a playmaker, folks. This is a very solid pick.
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3. Here comes some versatility for the Eagles defense.
Clemson likes versatility and so does the Eagles’ coaching staff. Much has been made about Isaiah Simmons’ versatility. Wallace is made in the same mold. He can play deep as a true prototypical safety, but he can also play the nickel corner or dime corner in passing situations.
Expect Jim Schwartz to use him in multiple areas of the field, much like Jim Johnson used to use that other Tigers safety back in the day.