Philadelphia Eagles Post-Draft Depth Chart: Defense

The Philadelphia Eagles brought in a total of seven new players by way of the 2014 NFL Draft. They also added a total of 15 (or so) rookies through undrafted free agency. Let's now take a look at what the 2014 projected depth chart looks like with respect to these draft additions. Yesterday we took stock of the offense. Today we'll look at the defense.

Defensive End:

1) Fletcher Cox

2) Cedric Thornton

3) Vinny Curry

4) Taylor Hart

5) Joe Kruger

6) Brandon Bair

7) Alejandro Villanueva

8) Frank Mays

Cox and Thornton are the starters. Vinny Curry is a pass rushing demon off the bench depsite his ideal lack of scheme fit. Hart will probably play in a rotational role right away. He also has the versatility to line up in different spots. It will be interesting to see what Kruger can do after spending his rookie year on injured reserve. Bair, Villanueva, and Mays could be competing for a last spot.

Nose Tackle:

1) Bennie Logan

2) Damion Square

3) Beau Allen

4) Wade Keliikipi

The Eagles are high on Logan as their starter from what I can gather. Square and Allen will compete for the backup NT spot. Keliikipi could be practice squad material.

Outside Linebacker

1) Trent Cole

2) Connor Barwin

3) Marcus Smith

4) Brandon Graham

5) Bryan Braman

6) Travis Long

7) Casey Matthews

8) Josh Kaddu

Cole and Barwin are the starters. Eagles first round pick Marcus Smith could split time with Cole. Brandon Graham is still around, but will that last? Bryan Braman was signed for depth purposes and special teams. Long is an intriguing candidate as a backup to Barwin's role.

Inside Linebacker

1) DeMeco Ryans

2) Mychal Kendricks

3) Najee Goode

4) Jason Phillips

5) Jake Knott

6) Emmanuel Acho

Ryans and Kendricks are the starters. Goode showed some potential while filling in for Kendricks last season. Phillips, who was signed near the start of 2013 free agency, is coming off an ACL injury. Phillips could be adequate depth and solid on special teams if healthy. Knott is suspended for the first four games of 2014 but I still get the sense the team likes him. Acho played really well in preseason last year but didn't cut it on specials for Chip Kelly's taste.

Safety

1) Malcolm Jenkins

2) Nate Allen

3) Earl Wolff

4) Chris Maragos

5) Ed Reynolds

6) Keelan Johnson

7) Daytawion Lowe

Jenkins is the only clear starter. Allen and Wolff will likely competing for the second safety job. Maragos and Reynolds seem to fit in as special teams players for the time being.

Cornerback

1) Brandon Boykin (slot)

2) Cary Williams

3) Bradley Fletcher

4) Nolan Carroll

5) Jaylen Watkins

6) Roc Carmichael

7) Curtis Marsh

8) John Fulton

The Boyking starts in the slot. Cary Williams will likely have one of the starting cornerback jobs locked down but the other spot is open for grabs. Nolan Carroll and Bradley Fletcher are the strong contenders for that spot, with rookie fourth round pick Jaylen Watkins in the mix.