Eagles Doing Due Diligence on Top CBs in Draft: Two Names to Watch
The Philadelphia Eagles have their standout cornerbacks locked down for this season and beyond in the veteran duo of Darius Slay and James Bradberry.
General manager Howie Roseman even added a depth piece during free agency, signing Greedy Williams, a former second-round pick of the Cleveland Browns.
The offseason work hasn’t stopped the Eagles from doing some due diligence on another pair of corners who likely won't make it beyond the first two rounds of the draft - Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes and Kansas State’s Julius Brents.
Both players are reportedly scheduled for pre-draft visits to Philadelphia.
It feels like a longshot that the Eagles would take a corner so early in the draft, though they are currently scheduled to have the 10th and 30th picks in the first round. Roseman, of course, likes to wheel and deal in the days leading up to the draft and during the draft itself.
Look no further than last year, when he acquired receiver A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans shortly after the first round began. The GM then negotiated a $100 million deal for Brown, who was a key ingredient in the Eagles’ Super Bowl run.
This year’s draft will be held in Kansas City and begin April 27 and run through April 29.
Perhaps Roseman will have another deal up his sleeve that could put Forbes or Brents, or any other cornerback, in the picture perhaps early in the second round.
Currently, Philly’s second-round pick is No. 62 overall.
Forbes and Brents are certainly two to watch.
Forbes is from the same school that has produced Eagles veterans Fletcher Cox and Slay.
The Eagles also have several players who went to school in Mississippi or were born and raised there, including Brown, running back Kenny Gainwell, and receiver Quez Watkins.
Forbes has good size at 6-1 and speed – he ran a 4.35 in the 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine - but he weighs just 166 pounds.
The weight issue wasn’t a concern when the Eagles drafted receiver DeVonta Smith after trading up with the Cowboys to take the Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama 10th overall in 2021. Smith barely weighed 170 but has been everything the Eagles had hoped he would be, playing all 34 games - including four playoff games - with 2,112 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns.
So maybe Forbes' weight isn’t a concern for the Eagles.
At Mississippi State, he was a consensus All-American and first-team All-SEC last year after posting six interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns, 46 tackles, and 10 pass breakups.
He is likely a first-round pick but could be available at No. 30 if the Eagles stay put and decide they want to add more depth in the cornerback room.
Brents could be an option in the second round for the Eagles, though some mock drafts have him going before Philly hits the clock at No. 62.
Unlike Forbes, Brents’s speed is a bit of an issue - he ran a 4.53 at the Combine - but he has the size to make up for it at 6-3, 199 pounds. He had four interceptions last year.
Here are the other reported top-30 visits scheduled for the Eagles:
Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi State
Lukas Van Ness, Edge, Iowa
Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
Jaquelin Roy, DT, LSU
Brodric Martin, DT, Western Kentucky
Dawand Jones, OL, Ohio State
Paris Johnson, OL, Ohio State
Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
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