Corner prospect presents a dilemma for Eagles

INDIANAPOLIS - The convergence of the Eagles' talent evaluation and character evaluation could be put to the test with Washington cornerback Marcus Peters, who fits many of the prerequisites for a top prospect - except for the fact that he was dismissed from his team last season.

"They want to know the character," Peters said of NFL teams. "Am I a hothead? Which is false. I made some immature decisions . . . and I learn from them and I grow as a man."

Peters, who is 6 feet and 197 pounds with 31½-inch arms, is among an impressive group of cornerbacks in the first round who fit the prototype that the Eagles seek. The best might be Michigan State's Trae Waynes, who is 6-feet and 186 pounds with 31-inch arms. The first-round options for the Eagles could include LSU's Jalen Collins, whose lack of experience is overshadowed by enticing size: 6-1, 203 pounds, and 321/8-inch arms.

"Right now, long corners are in," NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said. "There's a bunch of good, long corners at the top of this draft."

Waynes comes from one of the nation's top defenses and is adept at man-to-man coverage. He's also a willing tackler. He could be the Spartans' second consecutive cornerback to go in the first round - the Eagles passed on Darqueze Dennard last season, although Dennard did not have Waynes' length.

Peters will compete with Waynes to be the top cornerback selected, although teams must be satisfied with the off-field conduct. Peters was kicked off Washington's team in December after arguments with his coaches. He called it a "miscommunication" and added that he did not take the Huskies' coaching change well.

Between the lines, Peters has the size, coverage skills, and ball skills to be a starting cornerback. It's the off-field concerns that could drop him in the draft. The Eagles are particular about how a player will fit into the culture coach Chip Kelly has created.

"There are going to be things that [aren't] going to go right, but I went through one of the worst things that could happen to me in life," Peters said. "I got kicked off my team, I wasn't able to finish out my college career with my teammates, and I own up to that and I man up to that and I just move forward."

The Eagles need secondary help at safety, too, and Alabama's Landon Collins is the top prospect. There is a drop-off after Collins if Washington's Shaq Thompson is not considered a safety - and the versatile all-American insisted he is not.

Thompson has told teams that he's a linebacker. He's being viewed as a linebacker, safety, and running back. Thompson said "running back is out of the question," and his preference is linebacker over safety.

Thompson, who was recruited by Kelly out of high school, measured 6 feet and 228 pounds - the same size as Collins. But with so much of NFL defenses about substitution packages and versatility, Thompson could be appealing as someone who can play both linebacker and safety.

"I think that's part of what makes him so interesting for all these teams," Mayock said. "I think the value of Shaq Thompson as a defensive player is you don't put a label on him. He's going to be a three-down player, and it really doesn't matter where you line him up, because he's going to be a good three-down player."