Eagles draft preview: Safeties they might consider in the early rounds

Entering the offseason, there was plenty of uncertainty surrounding how the Eagles would revamp their defensive backfield.

A few months later, there aren’t many reassurances.

The team re-signed Anthony Harris to a one-year deal after letting him test the free-agent market and they made a run at premier free-agent safety Marcus Williams but were eventually priced out by the Baltimore Ravens.

There’s still plenty of time to address the safety and cornerback positions, but right now the team is missing a proven entity at outside cornerback and could use another safety worthy of significant playing time along with Harris and Marcus Epps.

Aside from the potential of three-time All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu signing with the team — he had a virtual visit with the Eagles earlier this month — the NFL draft will be the team’s best opportunity to make meaningful, long-term improvements to the secondary.

Here are some of the top prospects in the draft:

Kyle Hamilton, Notre Dame

Positional value aside, Hamilton is easily one of the most talented players in the draft.

At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Hamilton is a big, rangy safety who fits the bill of a modern-day, “positionless” defensive back. He played all over the field for Notre Dame and took on myriad responsibilities capably, from blanketing tight ends or slot receivers in man coverage to roaming the middle of the field as a deep safety.

Things are starting to come around, but the league has long undervalued safeties both in the draft and free agency. While the consensus is shifting as more teams show a willingness to pay high annual salaries to elite safeties, the general positional value rules have hurt Hamilton’s prospects of going early in the draft. His 4.59-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine underwhelmed a bit too, although anyone who watches Hamilton play knows speed isn’t an issue for him.

If he slides into the Eagles’ range, NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said, it would be a “home run” for the Birds to take him 15th overall.

“That would be a tremendous value in my opinion for them if they were to have an opportunity to pick him with one of those picks,” he said on a conference call with reporters Thursday. “If he were to drop down there, I would have no problem with that. I know they haven’t historically done that, but I could make a strong case that’s a need and that would be a home run pick in my opinion.”

Daxton Hill, Michigan

Hill is the other safety who could hear his name called by the end of Thursday’s first round.

He primarily played as a slot corner in college but projects as a do-it-all safety at the next level. Because of his slight frame (6-foot, 191), he might actually be best suited for the two-high safety scheme the Eagles employ under defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.

He certainly has the range to patrol the deep part of the field. He ran a 4.38-second 40 and his 79-inch wingspan was 92nd percentile among safeties, according to mockdraftable.com. That website says Hill closely resembles former Eagles star safety Malcolm Jenkins athletically.

Taking Hill at 15 or 18 might be a little early, but he’d be excellent value if the Eagles were to trade back. He’d project as an immediate starter with potential to be a difference maker.

Jalen Pitre, Baylor

Like Hill, Pitre is a versatile safety prospect who spent most of his time in the slot or around the line of scrimmage in college. He’s also a little undersized for that role at 5-11, 198 pounds.

Unlike HIll, there might be good reason to see if he can hang around the line of scrimmage at the next level. Pitre plays with an edge and holds up against the run extremely well. His playmaking ability around the ball would suggest his role in the league should allow him to spend at least some time in the box.

If he is typecast into a deep-safety role, he has the requisite athleticism to do it. He didn’t run the 40-yard dash, but there’s player-tracking data available from the Senior Bowl. Pitre’s data shows his max speed (19.52 mph) wasn’t among the top defensive backs on the three days where tracking was done. What is impressive from Pitre is how quickly he gets up to speed. He ranked fourth in max acceleration according to Zebra Technologies.

Pitre is probably a second-round prospect, so he could be a target if the Eagles skip safety on the first night of the draft.

Lewis Cine, Georgia

At 6-2, 200, Cine is a bigger, physical safety who also has plenty of experience playing deep half in college.

His college role makes him an ideal fit for the Eagles’ scheme and he should be available in the second round.

His athletic testing is really impressive, especially considering his size. He ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash and his 133-inch broad jump was in the 96th percentile.

Cine isn’t the playmaker some of the other safety prospects are, and he struggled in man coverage against tight ends in college, but there’s a lot to work with when you consider Cine as a size/speed prospect.

J.T. Woods, Baylor

Woods was the deep safety at Baylor who allowed Pitre to patrol the box.

Jeremiah identified Woods, a Day 2 prospect, as a player to watch when discussing the Eagles’ options at safety.

“You could go back to Baylor and get their other safety in J.T. Woods, who I think is going to be a stud,” he said. “He’s just real tall and rangy [6-2, 193]. He ran in the 4.3s. He’s got a ton of ball production.”

Woods had five interceptions last season and eight over his career. He isn’t much of a tackler and doesn’t offer the box versatility that others in this class do, but he’d be right at home in the Eagles’ system patrolling his deep half and using his track speed to keep things in front of him.

Jaquan Brisker, Penn State

Brisker is another plus athlete with good size (6-1, 200).

He can play multiple spots but was at his best when in the box during his college career. He played the deep safety role some and handled himself well, though. It’s also worth noting the Eagles reportedly had Brisker in for a predraft visit.

Brisker is a capable tackler and has pretty good instincts. He’s a bit of projection in the Eagles’ scheme, but he’s an intriguing Day 2 option.