If the Eagles are hoping that teams won’t know what to expect from them in the 2017 NFL Draft, that doesn’t appear it is going to be in the case.
In nearly eveyr NFL mock draft — and there are a lot of them — experts are predicting the Eagles will take a cornerback, and that is no different in NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah latest mock draft, as he has the team taking Washington cornerback Sidney Jones.
Why Jones? Jeremiah writes:
The Eagles are desperate for cornerback help; Jones is very polished and consistent on tape.
Jeremiah has Jones has the second cornerback to come off the board, with Ohio State’s Marshon Lattimore going No. 2 overall to the San Francisco 49ers.
Eagles 7-round Mock Draft
Jones, 6-foot-0, 181 pounds, finished his three-year career at Washington with eight interceptions and 21 passes defended. He is considered one of the best playmaking cornerbacks in the draft.
The Eagles can’t hide their need for a cornerback due to the poor play they got from the position last season. Now that they have released cornerback Leodis McKevlin, the Eagles will likely go into next season with two new starting cornerbacks.
With just $10 million in salary cap space currently, the Eagles are going to need to find cornerbacks they can trust to play — and maybe start — next season through the draft.
Here is more on Jones, via CBS Sports:
Carson Wentz at Super Bowl
STRENGTHS: The first thing that stands out about Jones is his easy movement skills. He has very light feet and loose hips, allowing him to shadow receivers throughout their routes. Jones has the height, long arms and easy change of direction to handle pressing at the line of scrimmage. He delivers a solid jolt to the receiver and fluidly pivots in trail position, mirroring receivers into the route. When in zone coverage, Jones shows very good route anticipation, working to keep himself between the quarterback and receiver. He shows impressive confidence and poise with the ball in the air, trusting his athleticism and technique. Jones reads the receiver, turning to locate the ball and showing excellent ballskills for the interception, including the ability to make the one-handed circus catch. This includes impressive timing and body control to contort in the air, as well as excellent hand-eye coordination to snake his hand between those of the intended pass-catcher to break up the throw, as well as to punch.
WEAKNESSES: The “biggest” knock on Jones is his spindly frame, which includes relatively narrow hips and thin limbs that raise questions about his ability to hold up to NFL physicality. Jones’ lack of ideal strength shows up most often against bigger receivers, who are able to gain separation by shoving him aside. While an effective tackler, Jones is too willing to let teammates do the dirty work in run support.
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Eliot Shorr-Parks may be reached at eshorrpa@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @EliotShorrParks. Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook.
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