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After the Philadelphia Eagles’ tough loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, December 3, the team’s poor play on the defensive side of the ball has many fans and analysts shrugging their shoulders.
In the meantime, head coach Nick Sirianni and defensive coordinator Sean Desai will have to figure it out, but the Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer thinks help could come from instate in the offseason.
As a part of his most recent 2024 NFL mock draft, Iyer has the Eagles selecting cornerback Kalen King from Penn State.
According to Iyer, “The Eagles can stay in state to address their issue at cornerback, with injuries affecting the inside and age affecting the outside. Wherever he would play for them first while staying in state, King can give them a dynamic on-the-ball playmaker.”
Kalen King Has a Great Pedigree But Also Comes With Questions
Iyer also brings attention to the fact that King has shown the potential to handle the spotlight of the NFL, saying, “He has more than lived up to being Joey Porter Jr.’s college successor.”
Porter Jr. was drafted in a similar range in last year’s draft, going to the Steelers with the first pick of the second round. He’s also shown much promise already in his rookie season, even taking home PFF’s best cornerback grade across the league in Week 5.
Standing at 5-foot-11 and 187 pounds, King doesn’t have quite the size of his predecessor. He might not have the speed, either. We’ll have to wait until the combine to see how they measure up, but if King’s tape against Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. is any indication of how King will do against NFL wide receivers, he might need some more development. Then again, right now nobody’s guarding that guy.
In fact, the Athletic’s Dane Brugler had King listed as a “Prospect trending down…” back at the end of October due to his performance against Harrison Jr., but the NFL Mock Draft Database shows that he’s sustained that first-round expectation for the entirety of this year’s college season.
Eagles Have to Fix Their Current Defensive Problems If They Want a Super Bowl
Yes, there seems to be a consensus on King’s draft stock. After Week 13, there also seems to be a consensus that the Eagles’ defense is what could keep them from seeing another Super Bowl appearance.
In the latest press conference on Sunday, December 3, when asked about the linebacker play and poor tackling in the game, Sirianni called it “an uncharacteristic day.” He called attention to the missed tackle rate being top 10 on the season, but it was obviously a problem in this one.
As possibly a sign of desperation, the Eagles have been in hot pursuit of ex-Colt vet Shaq Leonard to fill a hole at LB. According to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, Leonard’s decision between the Eagles and their inter-divisional rival, the Dallas Cowboys, should come today, Monday, December 4.
Part of what got the Eagles in this mess was losing starting LB Nakobe Dean against those very same Cowboys back on November 5. Dean was subsequently sent to IR with a Lisfranc injury that will keep him out the rest of the season.
Coming into the 49ers game, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer also reported that LB Zach Cunningham was also ruled out with a hamstring injury. The linebacker position appears to be the biggest problem currently, but if everyone comes back next year in full health, cornerback might be the better play in the coming draft.
The Eagles will have to hope this is the case since the best linebacker prospects in 2024 are only currently being evaluated with mid-second-round grades—meaning they almost certainly will not be ready to contribute to a Super Bowl run in year one.
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