Philadelphia Eagles seven-round 2020 NFL Mock Draft

This one feels like a troll on the fans, but I assure you it is not. The team will need price-controlled cornerbacks going into the future, and in the sixth-round, Lamar Jackson is a steal for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jackson is a cornerback who is trending in the right direction for an NFL prospect. This year he has 3 interceptions and 40 tackles (ESPN)  playing in the Nebraska secondary. At 6-foot-3, he is tall and surprisingly fast. It is always difficult to determine how well a player is going to be on an underperforming team like the Cornhuskers. But Jackson looks like the real deal. This is his fourth season playing in Nebraska and his stats have been trending upwards for the last four years.

Besides his stats, however, I think he has the technique to play better at the next level than some cornerbacks that will be drafted earlier than him. Watching his interceptions this year, Jackson has won his matchups while using finesse and technique, instead of brute force.

A problem for many cornerbacks coming out of college is that contact at the college level is far more permissible than it is in the NFL. Some cornerbacks thrive because of that in college and look like shutdown corners, only for them to disappoint in the NFL.

Jackson is skinny, so he might have trouble facing up against contact in the NFL. But he is fast, shifty and can play both in zone coverage and in press. Watching him play against Ohio State, he had one of the smoothest blitz’s you’ll ever see from a Nebraska cornerback. He got to the quarterback in a second flat and had it not been improperly labeled as a passing play by the defense, Jackson would have taken the quarterback to the ground.

Not only that, but he had the wherewithal to not drag the quarterback down after the ball had been handed off. Something even veterans struggle to control in the NFL that can cripple a defense’s chances with flags. Considering the number of flags that are thrown in the NFL, and how serious penalties can decide games, having a cornerback who has situational awareness is no small thing.

I’d like to see Jackson put on some more weight before he starts taking significant snaps in the NFL. But the Philadelphia Eagles have had trouble fielding competent cornerbacks in recent months, and it would be nice to have some depth at the position.

At the very least, you can count on Jackson to not implode your defenses chances of stopping a drive with an unnecessary roughness call. And Jackson has the tools to be a competent cornerback in the right situation. Plus that name guarantees a ton of press coverage and jersey sales. What team doesn’t want that?