2020 NFL Draft: Five first-round targets for the Philadelphia Eagles

The second biggest talent deficit the Philadelphia Eagles had in the 2019 season was in the secondary, specifically the cornerback position. If a lack of healthy receivers were the cause of death for the Eagles 2019 season, then its lack of playmaking cornerbacks can be designated as its secondary cause of death.

With four defensive backs hitting free agency this offseason according to Spotrac, combined with the units lackluster performance in 2019, expect the Eagles to prioritize the cornerback position in the 2020 NFL Draft.

LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton is a prospect the Eagles should be watching come draft time. The LSU senior will have one more chance to impress NFL scouts on January 13th, when LSU takes on the Clemson Tigers in the College Football National Championship.

Fulton may not have the most impressive interception rate, logging only two interceptions in the last two seasons. Where Fulton lacks in interceptions though, he exceeds in pass deflections, logging thirteen during the 2019 regular season, tenth best in college, according to ESPN.

If you watch his 2019 film, the first thing you see is how sticky Fulton is in coverage. Receivers find it very difficult to create any type of separation from the young cornerback. Fulton can stop on a dime when a receiver bobs and weaves in a route and can be expected to defend any type of route a receiver tries on him. The same goes for double-moves, as Fulton has the patience and self-control not to jump off a deceptive route tree.

At 6-foot-200 pounds, Fulton has the size to avoid getting bullied by most receivers in the contact zone. Fulton also has allowed one of the lowest completion percentages in college football when quarterbacks throw to his receiver.

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LSU has a reputation as a defensive back factory for the NFL and Fulton does not break from that tradition whatsoever. LSU’s nickname is “DBU” (Defensive Back University) and they take the designation very seriously.

Right now, the Eagles need a sure-thing cornerback for 2020 and beyond. The Eagles were one of several teams to make serious ovations to the Jacksonville Jaguars about trading for Jalen Ramsey. It was reported that the Eagles even offered their 2020 first-round pick to acquire the young cornerback.

This shows that the Eagles personnel department is quite aware that its current unit is not strong enough to sustain the historically high passing rates of the NFL. Ronald Darby is a free-agent and will most likely be leaving the team in free agency.

Rasul Douglas and Sidney Jones have been injured multiple times in the past two seasons and cannot be considered reliable cornerbacks. And even when they were healthy, these two cornerbacks cannot be brought back as anything other than depth-players.

The Philadelphia Eagles under Roseman’s management have missed on several cornerbacks in the past. For the 2020 NFL Draft, Roseman cannot afford to miss again, as several teams took advantage of the Eagles porous secondary during the 2019 regular season.

The slate of opponents is only going to get harder for the Eagles next season. The NFC East plays opponents from the NFC West and the AFC North in 2020. Also, every team that finished first place in the NFC this past season. That is a murderers row of opponents for a team that essentially has to start over with defensive backs in 2020, save for Malcolm Jenkins.

Fulton would be ready to start for the team in the 2020 season and become the shutdown cornerback this team needs. It won’t solve all of this team’s secondary woes, but at least Pederson and Roseman can count on the opposing team’s number one wide receiver being inconvenienced.