Philadelphia Eagles draft watch: 3 ACC corners not named Farley or Surtain

Here’s someone the Philadelphia Eagles could add late or as a UDFA.

Here’s as honest as any assessment of Patrice Rene can be. As a junior, he had a very respectable showing in 2018 before a torn ACL during the second game of 2019’s Tar Heels run wrecked any plans he had of carving his name permanently into the minds of draft scouts.

He earned another year of eligibility, albeit in a year that saw the college football season shortened, and in 2020, he crafted a very respectable campaign as he appeared in six games and racked up 28 total tackles, four pass breakups, and a forced fumble.

Now, if we’re being honest, it’s hard to give a fair evaluation of him, and the reason for that is this. When you watch North Carolina’s games, he can be found running into the frame a second or two after the play was made on more than one occasion. The question is would the reason for that be because he’s out of position, because the scheme failed him, or because he was just beaten by some guys who were just better? That can be argued for weeks.

Patrice Rene isn’t someone whose name you should expect to hear before Day 3 of the 2021 NFL Draft, but once the selection meeting reaches Round 6 or Round 7, he could be interesting if available. If things don’t work out that way, he’s also an interesting prospect the team’s brass could add as an undrafted free agent. Either way, he’s someone you might want to keep track of.