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The Philadelphia Eagles need another starting cornerback to pair with Darius Slay. It’s not a luxury item, it’s as much a need for them as butterscotch is for Krimpets.
The NFC East has suddenly morphed into a pass-catcher’s division, one loaded with rising stars like CeeDee Lamb, Terry McLaurin, Darius Slayton as well as established veterans like Amari Cooper, Kenny Golladay, Curtis Samuel. Slay can’t cover everyone.
Philadelphia sent scouts to watch the two best cornerbacks in this year’s draft: Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II and South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn. Both players wowed at their pro days last week and look to go off the board in the top-15 picks. More importantly, Surtain and Horn have NFL pedigree which is the most unteachable trait in an intriguing prospect.
They are both the sons of former NFL players who exhibited insane athleticism and football intelligence in college. Surtain’s father (Patrick Surtain) was a three-time Pro Bowl corner who retired with 37 interceptions. Meanwhile, Horn’s father (Joe Horn) was a four-time Pro Bowl receiver who racked up 8,744 yards and 58 touchdowns.
“When I say I’m the best defensive player in the draft, that’s not a statement to get teams to be like, ‘Ooh he got good confidence.’ I actually feel that way,” Horn told reporters. “So, first round, seventh round, undrafted … it doesn’t matter. When I step on the field, I’m going to show that and in a couple of years we’ll get to see.”
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Eagles Biggest Remaining Need
The Eagles charged hard at Adoree Jackson in free agency but the free-agent cornerback inked a $39 million with the New York Giants. There were also reports they made a run at Xavier Rhodes before he decided to return to the Indianapolis Colts on a one-year deal.
Obviously the front office in Philly isn’t totally comfortable with their cornerback situation after ranking 29th in the NFL last year with eight interceptions. ESPN recently called it the team’s biggest remaining need and rightfully so.
Surtain and Horn are the top-rated options in the first round, with Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley and Northwestern’s Greg Newsome II moving up on draft boards. Of course, Philly could wait until the second round to fill the need. They own the 12th and 37th overall picks.
The biggest name there to watch would be Florida State’s Asante Samuel Jr., another player with freak athleticism and NFL pedigree. His father Asante Samuel played for the Eagles and ranks 32nd all-time in NFL history with 51 interceptions. Two others are Oregon’s Jevon Holland and Central Florida’s Aaron Robinson.
Getting Back to Football Mountaintop
Howie Roseman has taken all the heat for the franchise’s sudden fall off the cliff. Three long years ago, the Eagles were Super Bowl champions and now they are stuck in a rebuild coming off a four-win season. The general manager has made some questionable decisions along the way but he remains confident they can’t get back to the mountaintop.
“I’m proud about a lot of things we’ve done here. But I also feel like we had a terrible year,” Roseman told reporters on March 18. “We won four games. I’m certainly part of that and I have to wear that as well. I do feel like we have the people in place to do the right things again and climb that mountain again and get to the top.”
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