NFL draft: Cooper DeJean an ideal fit for Eagles’ defense among a deep group of cornerback prospects

The Eagles have work to do at cornerback.

Although the defensive struggles that plagued the team during its late-season collapse were the result of a multitude of personnel and coaching problems, the inconsistent play and lack of depth in the secondary were apparent. General manager Howie Roseman has begun rebuilding the defense, but his best chance to add a potential impact player at cornerback might come in the draft later this month.

During the annual league meetings last week, Roseman gave a vote of confidence to Darius Slay and James Bradberry, the veteran cornerback duo currently atop the depth chart at the outside spots. Slay, 32, played reasonably well last season, but Bradberry was uneven. One year after being named second-team All-Pro, the 30-year-old became a liability in man coverage, especially toward the end of the season.

“I think on March 25, obviously, you look at the year Slay had — another Pro Bowl year for him,” Roseman said. “One of our captains. He’s still got explosiveness tools in his body. Did an unbelievable job when we had him on No. 1 receivers last year.

“It’s obvious to everyone, including JB, that JB didn’t have the year that he was expecting, or we were expecting. I think, obviously, he understands that and is driven to show that he’s the player that he was in 2022.”

» READ MORE: Eagles roster: Are the Birds finished addressing their holes on defense? That seems unlikely.

Considering Bradberry’s struggles, it’s fair to wonder if the Eagles may decide to release him just one year after signing him to a three-year contract with $20 million guaranteed. Doing so after June 1 would allow them to spread the salary-cap ramifications over two seasons, but it would still be costly enough to complicate the decision.

Either way, the Eagles could use a potential impact player at the position, especially with new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s track record with elite young cornerbacks shutting down half of the field. This year’s draft, top-heavy with first-round cornerback prospects, should give them the opportunity to add one if they so choose. Here’s a breakdown of the position group:

Terrion Arnold, Alabama

Arnold is widely considered the best in a talented group of cornerback prospects because of his ideal length and athleticism for the position along with high-level performances against quality competition. It’s rare for college cornerbacks to spend as much time in press coverage as Arnold did, which makes his projection to the NFL easier than most. He’s got long arms and the fluidity to excel in man coverage and match-zone concepts, as well as the instincts to diagnose routes that play out in front of him. The 6-foot, 189-pound defensive back played in the slot some at Alabama and showcased a willingness to take on blocks and make tackles in the run game as well.

Arnold is more smooth than twitchy, which is evidenced by his good-not-great athletic testing numbers. He ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, which was 43rd percentile, but he had an 87th-percentile broad jump at 129 inches. As a result, he’ll likely hear his name called well before the Eagles pick.

» READ MORE: Alabama’s Terrion Arnold and a deep group of CB prospects can help the Eagles in the NFL draft

Cooper DeJean, Iowa

DeJean is a versatile defensive back with high-end athleticism, physicality, and coverage skills. He started his career at Iowa as a safety before moving to outside cornerback and would line up in the slot for key downs at times as well. The 6-foot, 203-pound prospect’s versatility may be working against him a bit; some teams may view him as a safety because of his ball skills, instincts, and strength in the run game. Still, DeJean is athletic enough to stick at outside corner, although a creative defensive coordinator may picture a more expansive role for him. Because of his instincts along with having average length for an outside corner, he’s better suited for zone-coverage systems rather than being on an island in a scheme that primarily uses press-man coverage.

DeJean was recovering from a broken fibula during the scouting combine and wasn’t cleared in time for Iowa’s pro day, so he has yet to do athletic testing. According to an ESPN report, he’ll hold a private workout for teams on April 8 and could help his draft stock by confirming the athleticism that shows up on tape. Still, he could be available when the Eagles pick at No. 22 because of the corners ranked ahead of him and, if so, would be an ideal fit for Fangio, who values versatility and zone-coverage skills from his defensive backs.

Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo

As a first-round prospect from a smaller school, Mitchell is a rarity for the transfer portal era. The 6-foot, 195-pounder has the physical traits and mentality to be a shutdown corner in man coverage and he quieted concerns about his level of competition with an impressive showing at the Senior Bowl. Mitchell played primarily in off coverage at Toledo, where he played for Jason Candle and Vince Kehres, two of Eagles coach Nick Sirianni’s former coaching buddies. He has good instincts when diagnosing routes playing out in front of him and has the recovery speed to make plays on the ball when playing trail technique, evidenced by his 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine.

Mitchell’s lack of experience playing press will make him a harder projection for some teams, but he’ll have a chance to be the first cornerback off the board. He’d be best-suited in a system that lets him play off the line of scrimmage in man coverage or in a matchup zone. With the Eagles, he may not be the type of press-man corner Fangio has made use of in the past, but he’d do well in zone coverage playing the way Slay has.

» READ MORE: Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell, a Senior Bowl practice standout, has a common thread to Eagles’ Nick Sirianni

Nate Wiggins, Clemson

Wiggins may be the fastest cornerback in the class, but he’s also the skinniest. The 6-1, 173-pound prospect ran a 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the combine, something that isn’t all that surprising, given the way he can mirror wide receiver’s routes in man coverage. His movement skills will give him a chance to stick in the league, but the track record of corners Wiggins’ size succeeding in the NFL is dubious. There hasn’t been an All-Pro corner below the 185-pound mark since Ronde Barber in 2005, and he was 3 inches shorter and 10 pounds heavier than Wiggins. Washington cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, who weighed in at 166 at the combine before going in the first round last year, struggled last season and may be a cautionary tale.

The tantalizing speed combined with the concerning size make Wiggins a hard player to project. He’ll likely be off some teams’ boards because of his stature, but could be equally coveted by a team that values speed in the modern passing game. He has a chance to go in the first round, nonetheless.

Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama

McKinstry earned a starting role in Alabama’s defense as a freshman and, for a moment, seemed on track to be the No. 1 corner ahead of Arnold in Nick Saban’s secondary. He may have eventually been overtaken by Arnold, but he’s still a cornerback prospect worthy of consideration in the first round because of his fluidity and technique in coverage. He’s an instinctive player with long arms and a track record of excelling in press as well as matchup zones.

McKinstry helped calm some concerns about his deep speed by reportedly running a 4.47-second 40-yard dash at 5-11, 199 pounds and coming off a foot injury. Still, he doesn’t have the elite level burst or straight-line speed of an elite cornerback prospect.

Ennis Rakestraw, Missouri

Rakestraw is another long, lanky prospect who has potential to develop into an ideal press-man cornerback in the NFL. He’s 5-11 and 183 pounds, but he has 32-inch arms, which are 70th percentile for his position. Despite that length, he also spent a good amount of time in off coverage at Missouri and held up well when asked to diagnose routes developing in front of him and breaking on the ball. His ball production isn’t as good as that of others in the class, but he didn’t give up much going against No. 1 receivers in the SEC. It’s also worth mentioning he can be a tone-setter against screens or outside run plays with physicality that belies his slight frame.

Rakestraw’s range starts around the Eagles at No. 22, but he could be a trade-down candidate because of his size and lack of splash plays. His athletic testing may work against him as well; he ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash, which is adequate but not eye-popping.

T.J. Tampa, Iowa State

When looking at the NFL’s highest earners at cornerback, there are two clusters worth considering. Four of the top-five earners went in the first 20 picks with L’Jarius Sneed being the lone exception as a fourth-round pick. In the top 15, though, eight went somewhere on Day 2.

» READ MORE: The Eagles have two second-round draft picks. Here are seven prospects worth targeting.

Could Tampa be this year’s second-round sleeper? At 6-1 with a wingspan just shy of 6-7, Tampa has the ideal length to flourish as a press-man cornerback with fluid movement skills and recovery speed. Tampa had solid ball production in the Big 12 as well, recording 16 pass breakups and three interceptions over the last two seasons. He didn’t test at the scouting combine, but reportedly ran in the mid 4.5-second range in the 40-yard dash at his conference’s pro day.

He may not be one of the top corners on the board, but Tampa has a chance to stick in the NFL because of his mix of athleticism and size.