Ranking the Eagles top draft prospects at cornerback following NFL Combine workouts
Welcome to the wonderful world of theory and roster construction. Anytime there's a conversation about the Philadelphia Eagles depth chart, we can spend hours discussing the possibilities. That's true whether we reference one position group or several. Recently, we found ourselves in a spirited debate about Philly's cornerback room.
The starters on the outside are great, but they're aging. Darius Slay is worth the price of admission when he's on the field, but this past season, he spent time on the sideline.
There's regression, and there's falling off a cliff. James Bradberry did the latter. The Eagles are young at the slot cornerback position, but that didn't prevent more injury, both seen and unforseen.
No one loves Avonte Maddox more than we do. but he can't stay healthy. Stop debating that if you are. It's the truth. He can't.
Zech McPhearson was expected to be Avonte's backup. He was lost for the regular season before it began. The reserves both inside and out, outside of Kelee Ringo, (Mekhi Garner, Mario Goodrich, Eli Ricks, Tiawan Mullen) provide bodies but no real answers. Some are valuable contributors to special teams and the practice squad. The Birds would be wise to address their needs at the position by way of the coming NFL Draft.
Here's a ranking of the top potential Eagles prospects at the cornerback position following the NFL Draft.
Nate Wiggins doesn't do anything lackadaisically. Just watch a few games he played in at Clemson. That desire bled over into his 40-yard dash run. He scorched the turf, so aggressively that he suffered a hip injury.
Wiggins will be fine. Hopefully, he'll be ready for Clemson's Pro day, but we've seen enough to place him atop our 2024 cornerbacks prospects ranking. The rest of our list fell as follows.
- Nate Wiggins, Clemson
- Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
- Terrion Arnold, Alabama
- Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
- Cooper DeJean, CB/S, Iowa
- Kamari Lassiter, Georgia
- Cam Hart, Notre Dame
- Johnny Dixon, Penn State
- Max Melton, Rutgers
- Javon Bullard, CB/S, Georgia
Quinyon Mitchell is the second-best cornerback prospect in this class. While many Eagles fans are huge fans of Alabama's Kool-Aid McKinstry (and rightfully so), his teammate Terrion Arnold might be slightly better.
Cooper DeJean and Kamari Lassiter have first-round talent. Kamari Lassiter will hear his name called late in the first round or early in the second. Cam Hart, Johnny Dixon, Max Melton, and Javon Bullard are among the best second-day targets. All will help the NFL team that takes a chance on them.
Honorable mentions: Chau Smith-Wade (Washington State), Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (Missouri), and Mike Sainristil (Michigan)
Just outside of our top ten are three other studs. Ennis Rakestraw Jr. found his way onto our post-combine mock draft. Expect him to be a Day 2 selection.
Chau Smith-Wade has some ability, but he's small. Perhaps he grades out as a Day 2 guy for any team looking for a lot corner.
Mike Sainristil is another option for teams looking for help in the slot. He racked up 44 tackles, six interceptions, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and six passes batted during his final season at the collegiate level while helping the Michigan Wolverines to a National Championship with some clutch play in big moments.
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