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Eagles need cornerbacks, and draft will be stocked with them

INDIANAPOLIS – The Eagles found the right year to need cornerbacks. They are desperate for cornerback help, with both starting spots likely to change next season.

Alabama's Marlon Humphrey (26) breaks up a pass intended for Clemson's Artavis Scott during the second half of the NCAA college football playoff championship game Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz.
Alabama's Marlon Humphrey (26) breaks up a pass intended for Clemson's Artavis Scott during the second half of the NCAA college football playoff championship game Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz.Read more(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

INDIANAPOLIS – The Eagles found the right year to need cornerbacks. They are desperate for cornerback help, with both starting spots likely to change next season.

And even though free-agent negotiations can begin Tuesday and signings start Thursday, the heavy lifting in the secondary's reconstruction will come during draft weekend April 27-29 when they can pick from the deepest cornerback draft class in recent memory.

"The defensive backfield [talent] is unique certainly since I've been in Indy," said top Eagles executive Howie Roseman, who has worked in the NFL since 2000. "It's unique to have that kind of depth."

Just how deep? NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock had coaches tell him last week that they could land a cornerback in the fifth round who would typically go in the second or third. Twelve cornerbacks usually go in the first three rounds, and Mayock said he graded 18 cornerbacks for those rounds this year. And it's not only deep, but also features high-caliber players at the top. Ohio State's Marshon Lattimore, Washington's Sidney Jones, Alabama's Marlon Humphrey, and Florida's Teez Tabor are among the group of six cornerbacks who could go on the first night.

The Eagles could approach the draft with different strategies. The depth could convince them to wait for cornerbacks - Mayock said the Eagles could address wide receiver in the first round and still find good cornerbacks on Day 2 - or they could view the deep class as a chance to load up on a position that too often has been neglected or missed in the draft. The Eagles haven't taken a first-round cornerback since Lito Sheppard in 2002, and Eric Rowe was their only second-round cornerback since then. They traded him after one year.

If the Eagles take a first-round cornerback, they might be drafting too late at No. 14 for Lattimore. But Jones could fit what the Eagles need at the position. Jones is 6 feet and 186 pounds and has started since his freshman year for the Huskies. He had nine interceptions in three seasons, making first-team all-Pac 12 twice and drawing comparisons to Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters - a former teammate who reached the Pro Bowl in his first two seasons. Jones said the comparisons are because of the way they play and not just the same college uniform.

"I'm a lockdown corner," Jones said. "I'm an all-around corner. I give you instincts, ball skills, and great football IQ."

Humphrey fits the prototype for the position. He's 6 feet and 197 and is the son of a former first-round running back and college track star. Humphrey expects to run the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds on Monday. He started two years for Alabama's defense and is tough in run support, although his coverage techniques is said to need refinement.

"I think my best attribute is my speed and toughness. I think I can run with any guy," Humphrey said. "There's not many receivers that I played . . . there isn't a receiver besides John Ross that I played that I ran with that I said, 'This guy's really, really fast.' I think I can run with just about anybody. I think that's my best trait."

Tabor, who is not short on confidence, called himself the best player in the draft - not just the best cornerback in the draft. His college teammate, Quincy Wilson (6-1, 211), will also go in the first two rounds. So will Lattimore's teammate, Gareon Conley (6-0, 195).

LSU's Tre'Davious White (5-11, 192) was an all-American expected to go in the first round. USC's Adoree' Jackson (5-10, 186) is a fellow all-American who lacks ideal size but is a dynamic return weapon who could also push for the first round. And the list continues, which is why Roseman said he's never seen a class like it. The Eagles already had formal interviews with some of them, including Jones. (A few defensive backs mentioned the thrill of meeting Brian Dawkins, who is now working in the Eagles' scouting department.)

Mayock said the order of the cornerbacks will depend on a team's preference. There are cornerbacks of all styles in early rounds - from the tall, long corners such as Washington's Kevin King (6-3, 200) and Colorado's Ahkello Witherspoon (6-3, 198) to shorter, shiftier cornerbacks such as Michigan's Jourdan Lewis (5-10, 188) and Jackson.

"They're still jockeying for position," Mayock said, "and a lot of it is, what kind of defense are you?"

Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz looks for aggressive competitors who can play press-man coverage. Jalen Mills was a seventh-round pick, but he earned Schwartz's trust in part because of his confidence.

The need at cornerback could also be determined by what happens in free agency. The Eagles cut Leodis McKelvin, and Nolan Carroll is free to sign elsewhere this week. Mills is the top cornerback on the depth chart. Roseman said the Eagles won't feel the need to fill that depth chart before the draft if the right player is not available, and he's willing to live with holes in the interim.

It's not unprecedented. The Carolina Panthers went into last year's draft with a barren depth chart. They used three of five draft picks on cornerbacks, including both Day 2 picks. Those were their primary starters last season. In 2013, the Atlanta Falcons invested their top two picks on cornerbacks. Four seasons later, that pair remains starters.

But no matter what happens, look for the Eagles to be aggressive in the draft. And they'll start a busy week for the team by watching the on-field workouts of one of the draft's best positions.

"DBs always think they're the best," Conley said, "so it's going to be real competitive."

Extra points

Temple defensive end Haason Reddick was one of the standouts at the combine after running a 4.52-second 40-yard dash and recording a 36.5-inch vertical leap and 133-inch broad jump. Reddick, a Camden native, is expected to play linebacker in the NFL.

zberman@phillynews.com

@ZBerm