Late-Round 2020 NFL Draft targets for the Philadelphia Eagles

Safety

Coming into the 2019 season, the Philadelphia Eagles were already rolling with a loaner at the number two safety position with Andrew Sendejo. When Sendejo was released in the middle of last season, along with extensive injuries to the team’s cornerback unit, the defense effectively ran a two-safety depth chart of Rodney McLeod and Jenkins.

Now one half of that unit is out the door. The 32-year old Jenkins will be returning to the New Orlean Saints, as the Philadelphia Eagles announced they would not be picking up his option in 2020. One of the most dependable presences on the team, he played 98 percent of the defensive snaps since being acquired in 2014.

For years, Jenkins has been an adaptable player, used as a run-stopper, pass-rushing, coverage expert. Losing that kind of dependable player in the secondary will be difficult to replace, both as a leader on the field, in the locker room and in the Philadelphia community-at-large.

Even if the team uses their first-round pick on a safety, they will need serious help with safety depth in 2020. Rookie safety Marcus Epps played 10 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in seven games last year and was more of a special team player than anything else. He played in seven games with single-digit tackles in seven games, according to Pro Football Reference.

With a secondary composing of a 30-year old McLeod, Mills (who has missed 15 regular-season games in two seasons) and second-year safety in Epps, the Philadelphia Eagles must address the safety position at least twice between now and the start of the 2020 season.

If Roseman is looking to replace Jenkin’s run-defense skills, he should be looking at Notre Dame safety Alohi Gilman. Gilman started off his college career with Navy but transferred to the Fighting Irish, sitting out in 2017 due to NCAA transfer rules.

Gilman immediately made an impact on the defense in 2018, logging in 31 tackles in his first four games at Notre Dame and continued to be impactful throughout the season. At 5-foot-10, 202 pounds, he is a little heavy for a safety. But he makes up for this with his tackling as a box safety.

At the Combine, he ran 4.60 seconds in the 40-yard dash while also logging in a Broad Jump of 119 inches. For some context, top safety prospect Xavier McKinney from Alabama ran a 4.63 and jumped 122 inches. While Gilman wasn’t nearly as productive in college as McKinney, his raw athletic abilities stand out on tape.

Included in the Gilman package is a locker room leader, who can deliver speeches and rile up teammates. The Philadelphia Eagles are losing at least three locker room leaders this offseason in Jenkins, Peters and Darren Sproles.

Against runners and tight ends Gilman is aggressive and energetic. While not the smoothest tackler in the draft, the Philadelphia Eagles could use his nearly 31-inch arms to wrap up offensive players.

His biggest issue has always been mental errors in coverage. On the field against a receiver one on one, he sometimes is late in processing what to do. Unless his coverage skills improve in the NFL, his best use will be as a run-support safety and intermediate coverage player.

If the Philadelphia Eagles want to replace Jenkins coverage abilities in the later rounds, they should look no farther than Ohio State safety Jordan Fuller.

Listed at 6-foot-2, 205-pounds, Fuller is more in line with what the team is looking for at safety from a height perspective. Both Jenkins, Epps, and Sendejo are over six feet tall. A New Jersey native, Fuller has the long body and deep pass skills the Philadelphia Eagles will require as their cornerback unit looks to need assistance in coverage this season.

Playing a variety of roles for Ohio State over the last three seasons, Fuller finished his 2019 season as more of a single-high safety. While that role might be too cumbersome for him in the NFL, there is no denying this guy has the skills needed to line up in coverage.

Fuller is fast, can burst down the field to protect against the run while also flipping his hips and protecting the deep middle of the field. When he got his hands on receivers, he was able to be disruptive at the catch point.

He finished his Ohio State career with 10 passes defended, five interceptions and three fumble recoveries, according to Sports Reference. Fuller has all the athletic traits NFL general managers are looking for. The Philadelphia Eagles could be the perfect place for Fuller as a backup/developmental safety.

The final safety on this list may the biggest sleeper safety in the 2020 NFL Draft. Clemson defensive back Tanner Muse was outshined by his own teammate Isaiah Simmons in the backfield while at Clemson. But if the Philadelphia Eagles are looking for that versatile, do-it-all safety that Jenkins was, Muse may be their best option in the later rounds.

Measuring in at the Combine at 6-foot-2, 227-pounds Muse is the type of safety that stalks around the backfield pre-snap, making adjustments to where he lines up based on the offensive formation. While undervalued in this year’s draft class, he ran a 4.41 in the 40-yard dash and his film shows him to have sideline-to-sideline speed.

His film shows an active player who is aggressively headed to wherever the ball is going, in both run and passing plays. That puts him in the right place at the right time to make plays on the ball. He finished his Clemson career with 191 total tackles, 14 passes defended, seven interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery, according to Sports Reference.

Not only does Muse have versatile coverage skills, but he was also used as a pass-rusher at Clemson. He finished his college career with 10 tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks, adding one more tool to his impressive safety toolbox.

While Muse is built more like a linebacker, he appears to build up speed running around behind the defense before the ball is snapped. This makes him a highly unpredictable safety for quarterbacks to read and makes him valuable as a defensive back in the NFL.

He may have run linebacker drills at the Combine this year, but considering how good his teammate Simmons did playing safety/linebacker, Muse may be viewed by scouts as a cheaper alternative to Simmons in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Muse may not be the most impressive safety in single-high, man-to-man coverage snaps. But he is disruptive at the catch point and has a habit of being at the right place when a receiver fumbles or a pass ricochets off their hands. Combine that with his pass-rushing skills and Muse is the type of versatile safety the Philadelphia Eagles need now that Jenkins is gone.