For weeks, the Eagles have been pegged to draft a cornerback in several mock drafts circulating, and in Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft for ESPN.com, he has the Eagles taking a defensive back as well. Kiper believes it won’t be a cornerback. The longtime draft expert has the Eagles drafting Mississippi State safety Jonathan Abram with the 25th overall pick in his latest first-round mock draft on ESPN.com.
From Kiper:
“Philadelphia has done a nice job filling holes this offseason. DeSean Jackson can replace Golden Tate. Malik Jackson is an upgrade on Haloti Ngata & Co. at defensive tackle. Vinny Curry will help with Michael Bennett moving on. GM Howie Roseman hasn’t addressed the secondary, however, outside of bringing back Ronald Darby on a one-year deal, which means Philly could target a safety or corner in the first round or with one of its two second-round picks. Abram (5-foot-11, 205 pounds) is my top-ranked safety, a physical tackler who showed off 4.45 40-yard dash speed at the combine.”
The 5-foot-11, 205-pound Abram has big-time SEC experience, and an attitude to match, with one AFC defensive coach telling NJ.com, that the former Bulldogs star is an Alpha on defense.
“He’s an alpha dog,” the coach said, regarding Abram. “The thing I kind of struggle with, is if you play him close to the ball, will he get engulfed? Just because he is only 205. If you put him in the deep part of the field, does he have the athleticism to make plays in big space? But again, the reason why I’d give him the benefit of the doubt is because I just think he’s a dog. I think a guy like him, he’s going to figure it out.”
Abram would allow the Eagles to bring him along slowly while trying to determine just how much Rodney McLeod and Malcolm Jenkins have left in the tank. The team also signed former Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo in free agency to add more depth to the position.
