April 26, 2016
Butch Dill/AP
The Eagles may not have the same height-weight parameters that they did under Chip Kelly, which means that players like Alabama's Cyrus Jones could be in play.
At cornerback, the Eagles have Eric Rowe, who will likely start after an encouraging rookie season a year ago, and then a logjam of corners in numbers thereafter.
Here is how I would guess the Eagles' depth chart will look at corner heading into training camp, as the roster is currently constructed:
| CB1 | CB2 | Slot |
| Eric Rowe | Nolan Carroll | Leodis McKelvin |
| Ron Brooks | Denzel Rice | JaCorey Shepherd |
| Jaylen Watkins | Aaron Grymes | Randall Evans |
The above is a lot of guesswork. Certainly, the Eagles could stand to bolster the corner position.
Here are five cornerbacks who could make sense for the Eagles in the 2016 NFL Draft:
At 5'10, 197, Jones does not have good size, and his athletic measurables do not exactly make up for it:
However, Howie Roseman stated that Jim Schwartz may not put a high premium on bigger corners the same way Chip Kelly did.
"I think he's more open to different body types," said Roseman. "For him, the most important things are explosiveness, athletic ability, tight coverage, and ball skills. But at the same time, it's going to be important to every defensive coach if you can get guys that have height and length. That's going to be a preference for every defensive coach you talk to."
In 2015, Jones had four punt return touchdowns, which was one away from an NCAA single season record. He also has had five interceptions and four forced fumbles over the last two years. He just makes big plays, and often in big spots.
Jones' fit on the Eagles would likely be as a slot corner and return specialist. It's noteworthy that current Eagles punt returner Darren Sproles will turn 33 in June and is in the final year of his contract.
Draft projection: Third round
In 20 career games at LSU, Robinson had 33 tackles, 1 INT, and 4 pass breakups. In other words, he didn't exactly rack up numbers like some of the other corners in this draft. That's because Robinson didn't play all that much. He was suspended indefinitely from the team in November of 2014, and was arrested in July of 2015. He missed the entire 2015 season because of off-the-field incidents.
However, he has talent. Here's a scouting report, via NFL.com:
SOURCES TELL US "I'm not sure he's a bad kid, but I know he hates school. He's really tough -- typical south Florida kid. You know what you get. The interviews will work themselves out for better or worse, but you keep things simple for him and let him chase one guy around the field all day. He's really good at that." -- Former SEC defensive coach
Robinson is not a player Chip Kelly would have looked at. It's interesting to see the Eagles' new regime digging a little deeper on him. The Eagles have not been shy about considering character concern players.
Draft projection: Fourth round
Bradberry is a corner who likes to be physical in press coverage at the line of scrimmage.
According to Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com, the Eagles spent quite a bit of time with Bradberry at the Senior Bowl:
Samford cornerback James Bradberry spent close to an hour with the Eagles this past Tuesday night, a meeting that took place with head coach Doug Pederson, secondary coach Cory Undlin and top personnel executive Howie Roseman, among others. It is unclear if defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was in the meeting.
Bradberry did not stand out to me at the Senior Bowl either in a positive or negative way. The reviews I've seen of him are mixed, although I do like this:
At 6'1, 211, Bradberry would be another bigger corner to add to the mix.
Draft projection: Fifth round
Worley led the Mountaineers with six INTs in 2015, a season after picking off three passes in 2014. He has very good size at 6'1 to go along with 33.5" arms, and good ball skills. However, he ran a terrible 4.64 40 at the NFL Combine.
He also has some character concerns, in that he missed a bowl game for academic reasons, and has an off-the-field incident in which he was accused of assaulting a female. Teams will have to investigate what happened there.
Again, the Eagles have not been shy about considering character concern players.
Draft projection: Sixth round
This offseason, the Eagles signed physical defenders such as Rodney McLeod, Nigel Bradham, and Ron Brooks. Jim Schwartz has "a type," and that type is "physical." In that sense, Burris should be a clear player of interest. In his last season at NC State, Burris was credited with a grand total of zero missed tackles. The Eagles could look at Burris as an immediate contributor on special teams as well as a depth at corner.
Draft projection: Sixth-Seventh round
