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There are only 45 days until the 2017 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 27. Until then, let’s kill some time with our weekly Mock Draft Monday series.
The SB Nation mock draft put together by Dan Kadar last week featured the Eagles taking Corey Davis at No. 14. That was before NFL free agency happened, though, and the Eagles signed Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith. That’s not to say wide receiver isn’t still a long-term need for the Eagles — it is — but it’s not as pressing of an immediate need.
So with that in mind, the mock drafters will likely turn to the Eagles drafting cornerbacks in the first round. Sidney Jones would have continued to be a popular target for Philadelphia but unfortunately he suffered a very serious injury. Now it’ll be other cornerbacks instead.
This week, SB Nation has the Eagles taking one of two potential Florida Gators first round cornerback prospects.
14. Philadelphia Eagles (via Minnesota Vikings): Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
The Eagles brought in veteran wide receivers Torrey Smith and Alshon Jeffery, so that should eliminate that position as the team’s top need. Wilson’s size and ability to play the ball make him a hot commodity.
Wilson measures in at 6-1, 214 pounds. In 37 games played at Florida, Wilson recorded 81 tackles, six interceptions, 14 passes defensed, one forced fumble, and one defensive touchdown.
You can never rule out the Eagles drafting a Florida player as long as Howie Roseman is in charge. There’s no question he has a touch of #GatorBias, though it’s not necessarily as obvious as Chip Kelly’s #DuckBias.
I’m not so sure Wilson is the correct Florida cornerback the Eagles will love, though. To me, it seems like Philadelphia will really like Teez Tabor. He had a bad Combine showing so that didn’t help him, but he has that kind of confidence Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz loves. Something to keep an eye on.
Here’s BGN’s scouting report on Wilson.
NFL Comparison: Wilson's size and ability in man coverage are similar to Byron Maxwell in Seattle. Both were heavily used as press man cornerbacks, but also have the ability to make plays in zone. I expect Wilson to test better and go higher than Maxwell did in the draft, but they are very similar players in terms of what they do well.
Wilson's athletic ability and use in college make him scheme versatile for the NFL. The Eagles, who like playing off coverage and use a lot of zone, would be a nice fit for him. While he may have a bit steeper of a learning curve coming away from playing primarily press man, he has shown versatility, so it is not a long term worry. Wilson can be coached up as a tackler and at the worst, he just ends up being a pure cover guy.
You can watch Wilson’s game film on Draft Breakdown. Here’s a highlight video as well (warning: music NSFW).
What do you think of this week’s pick?