Report: Eagles will host productive nickel cornerback on official pre-draft visit

You know NFL Draft season is heating up when official visits start to leak out.

Thanks to NJ.com reporter and BGN alumnus Mike Kaye, we have news of the Philadelphia Eagles’ first pre-draft visit: Louisiana Tech cornerback Amik Robertson.

As a reminder, teams are allowed to bring in 30 prospects for official visits leading up to NFL Draft each year. These visits don’t necessarily guarantee the team is actually interested in drafting the player. Howie Roseman once admitted to using some of their visits as smokescreens to mask their true interests. Note that the team is not permitted to work out the player during these visits but they are allowed to check medical information and interview the prospect.

It’s no surprise to see the Eagles checking in on cornerback prospects given their need at that position. Incumbent starters Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby are set to be free agents. The Eagles will likely sign a starting corner or two but they could also afford to draft a young prospect. Could Robertson be a fit in Philly?

Some certainly think so. BGN’s Ben Natan has been mocking Robertson to the Eagles in the third round on a weekly basis.

Robertson has steadily been rising from the end of the season through the All-Star Game Circuits. Robertson is a physical, ball-hawking cornerback who could play in the slot or the outside. The Eagles will likely try to add competition to their cornerback group this spring and Robertson would push for snaps from day one.

Here’s a scouting report via NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein:

Smallish, outside corner with tremendous intensity, swagger and toughness. Needs to handle the athletic challenges as a slot corner in the NFL. He gives rough rides to receivers trying to get away from his press before following it with route recognition and footwork to continue hounding his man. Physicality overtakes technique at times and he could struggle to mirror the release of savvy NFL slot receivers. The instincts and ball skills are rare and should translate to this level of competition in zone and man as long as he can shadow routes. Teams may worry about his size, but run support will not be a concern and Robertson could become a starting nickel as a Day 3 selection.

Film sampling from BGN’s Michael Kist:

Robertson certainly checks the box for the Eagles in terms of production. He finished his collegiate career with 184 total tackles, 34 passes defensed, 23 tackles for loss, 14 interceptions (for 265 return yards!), four sacks, three defensive touchdowns, and two forced fumbles. Talk about filling up the stat sheet. It’s no wonder this guy is drawing some Honey Badger comparisons.

This Robertson visit in interesting in the context that the Eagles have shown a lot of interest in nickel defenders this offseason. They’ve already been linked to the likes of Chris Harris Jr. and Logan Ryan in free agency. Now they’re bringing in Robertson for a visit. One would think the Eagles already feel good about their nickel corner spot due the presence of Avonte Maddox and Cre’Von LeBlanc, who’ve both enjoyed some success. Is that not the case? Are the Eagles thinking of moving Maddox to safety? Are they thinking of moving one of these other nickel players to the back end?

In any case, I like the idea of adding Robertson to the Eagles’ secondary. His lack of size could allow him to fall to Philly’s third-round pick on Day 3.

Spider graph via Mockdraftable:

We’ll continue to track the Eagles’ top 30 visits as we learn about them here at Bleeding Green Nation.