Philadelphia Eagles 2020 NFL Draft: Final Grades, Analysis and Context

Grade: A-

With the departure of Malcolm Jenkins this offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles released one of their best defensive players. He will go down as one of the best safeties to play in Philadelphia and his role as an every-down, swiss army knife strong safety will be missed in the team’s secondary.

While they shifted Jalen Mills from cornerback to safety duties this offseason to fill the role left by Jenkins, it is unclear how much the front office expects that work. Mills has an injury history and has so far been inconsistent as a cornerback. And the other safeties on the roster are either past 30 or inexperienced.

A lack of depth at the safety position proved to be a costly deficiency on the defense in 2019, as the Philadelphia Eagles secondary was consistently roasted by opposing quarterbacks. Even if K’Von Wallace isn’t the starter in 2020, it was important for the Philadelphia Eagles front office to bring in at least one safety in the 2020 NFL Draft who could take on a bigger role further down the road.

Wallace has been a consistent presence in the Clemson secondary for the last three seasons, thriving in coverage duty and challenging wide receivers at the catch point. At 5-foot-11, 206-pounds, Wallace has the size and strength to stop receivers in their tracks. Wallace rarely missed a tackle at Clemson either, which was another point of concern for the Philadelphia Eagles secondary last season. Wallace provides the defense sure tackling and excellent coverage skills which should help stabilize a secondary rocked by injuries and regression in 2019.

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The biggest concern with this draft pick is what role he is expected to play once the season starts. Wallace played all over the field at Clemson but found a niche as a nickel or dime cornerback. And slot cornerbacks is one of the only spots on the defense that has solid depth, after the addition of free agents this offseason.

Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles front office are clearly prioritizing slot duties from here on out. This is not in and of itself a bad thing. Slot cornerbacks have become more valuable in recent years with the introduction of more four and five receiver sets in offensive rotations. Slot cornerbacks are more versatile, can typically make plays on the fly and generally have more opportunities to shine than outside cornerbacks.

Roseman likes to draft for value, which makes sense in the long-term. And considering this was a fourth-round pick, Roseman got incredible value here. Wallace was expected to be drafted somewhere between the second and third round, so getting him with a fourth-rounder is a steal in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The pick is only diminished by the fact the Philadelphia Eagles have several starting-quality slot cornerbacks on the roster, including other safeties and linebackers who can play in coverage. Besides that fact, adding Wallace to the roster was a smart decision, even if he doesn’t get a major role until 2021.