NFL Draft Results: Rasul Douglas to Philadelphia Eagles with 99th overall pick

With the 99th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select West Virginia cornerback Rasul Douglas.

Douglas is the second cornerback to be drafted by the Eagles this year after the team selected Sidney Jones in the second round. Unlike Jones, Douglas is healthy and will be ready to play this year.

Douglas is a big cornerback: he measures in at 6-2, 209 pounds. In two years at West Virginia, he had 77 tackles for nine interceptions, nine passes defensed, and two forced fumbles.

BGN’s Ben Natan ranked Douglas as his 14th best cornerback.

Douglas has real talent and he could eventually develop into a really good corner. He didn't test great which was a shame, but he's extremely tall and lengthy and flashes excellent ball skills. He seems to always get his hand on the football and his size certainly helps with that. He's very good in zone so would work well in cover 2, but he needs to improve his technique in man coverage. He didn't press a lot but when he did he was very inconsistent, although he flashed the ability to punch hard and take a receiver out of the play. He has to stop lunging though and will struggle against quicker receivers.

BGN’s Jonny Page had Douglas as his 16th best corner.

Douglas has real talent and he could eventually develop into a really good corner. He didn't test great which was a shame, but he's extremely tall and lengthy and flashes excellent ball skills. He seems to always get his hand on the football and his size certainly helps with that. He's very good in zone so would work well in cover 2, but he needs to improve his technique in man coverage. He didn't press a lot but when he did he was very inconsistent, although he flashed the ability to punch hard and take a receiver out of the play. He has to stop lunging though and will struggle against quicker receivers.

Here’s a scouting report on Douglas from NFL.com.

Strengths: Tall, sporting an angular frame with good overall length. Very aware from zone coverage. Will roll out of his coverage area and overlap in order to make a play. Reads quarterbacks drops and will break early to race ahead of slants and make a play on the throw. Finisher when the ball is there to be had and flashed ball skills of a pro. Plays with strong hands. Able to go up high and win the 50-50 balls and needs very little time to have hands interception-ready. Good recognition of route combinations and will shift from pattern to pattern. Not a physical tackler but gets guys down. Length allows him to catch stray running backs breaking contain.

Weaknesses: Tall corner who plays upright in his pedal, which affects his balance and transition quickness. Very average in his pattern matching and has below average closing burst to the ball. Won't be able to match quick-footed receivers from press coverage. Athletic and coverage limitations could limit his scheme fits. Doesn't have the downfield juice to stick with burners on go routes. Makeup speed is below average. Inconsistent hitter who may lack necessary aggressiveness as tackler to project to safety. Defaults to arm tackles.

Draft Projection: Round 3

NFL Comparison: Daryl Worley

Bottom Line: Douglas has rare size for the position and his 2016 interception total will add to the level of intrigue for NFL teams. There is no doubting Douglas' ability to make plays on the ball when he's in position, but his lack of long speed and closing burst could make his big senior season an anomaly. Douglas is a zone corner with press and trail ability but needs to run a reasonable time at the combine to solidify his draft slotting.

Remaining Eagles draft picks

1st - No. 14 - Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee

2nd - No. 43 - Sidney Jones, CB, Washington

3rd - No. 99 - Rasul Douglas, CB, West Virginia

4th - No. 118

4th - No. 139 (from Cleveland Browns)

5th - No. 155

6th - No. 194

7th - No. 230

Eagles top remaining needs

Cornerback

Running back

Wide receiver

Offensive tackle

2017 NFL Draft schedule

• Day 1: Round 1 – 10 minutes
• Day 2: Round 2 – 7 Minutes, Round 3 – 5 Minutes Per Pick
• Day 3: Rounds 4-6 – 5 Minutes Per Pick, Round 7 - 4 Minutes Per Pick

(Compensatory picks = 4 minutes)