Eagles think they finally drafted a ‘red star’ safety in Sydney Brown

The Eagles’ draft board contains more than just a ranking of prospects based upon a numerical grade. Alongside each player’s name there may be a variety of color-coded icons signifying a particular evaluation: a black star, a blue circle, a red cross.

Red stars are listed on the far right, and as general manager Howie Roseman explained on Friday night, awarded the day before the draft by scouts for players they deemed worthy of the honor.

“That’s a guy who kind of exemplifies what it means to be an Eagle,” Roseman said. “Great character. Captain. Testing numbers. Intelligence. Plays the way it should be played. Practices the way it should be played.”

Sydney Brown received a red star and it may have nudged the Eagles into selecting the Illinois product, making him the franchise’s highest-drafted safety in 12 years. While a third-rounder might not exactly be emptying the pockets, Brown was chosen with the 66th overall pick — 61 spots before Roseman chose K’Von Wallace in the fourth round three years ago.

Wallace was previously the safety drafted highest since the Eagles expended the 54th pick on Jaiquawn Jarrett in 2011. Jarrett, formerly of Temple, was a cautionary tale for Roseman. The organization had long devalued the position, but it has been one the GM has struggled to pin down in terms of the draft.

He did well with an undrafted rookie last year. See: Reed Blankenship.

But Brown, who played in one of the stingiest college secondaries last season, offers Roseman and his scouts a reprieve at safety if they have finally plucked a future starter from a haystack with few needles.

“When you watch him on tape, this guy flies around,” Roseman said. “He has exceptional play tempo. He’s a big hitter. You see him flying around, making plays on the ball. … He can blitz, he can play in the run game, he can cover the slot, he can cover tight ends. He’s one of those guys, he’s fun to watch, the way he plays the game.

“I think our fans are going to love Sydney Brown.”

Eagles fans, of course, love hard-hitting safeties. But the bygone days when Brian Dawkins could hurl his body all over the gridiron with reckless abandon are over. And the days when defenses could almost exclusively split their safeties between the post and the box are long gone, as well.

And as skilled as Brown was defending near the box — fitting for a former boxer — he didn’t get many chances to cover in the post playing in an Illinois secondary that had a dedicated deep safety and two high-level cornerbacks drafted ahead of him: Devon Witherspoon (No. 5 overall) and Jartavius Martin (No. 47).

“You had an incomplete evaluation,” Roseman said.

» READ MORE: Thumbs up or down: Eagles beat writers weigh in on drafting Illinois safety Sydney Brown

But Brown showed up at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. ready to train outside his comfort zone and prove to evaluators that he was more versatile than he was allowed to show in the Big Ten. And the Eagles, for one, began to envision the 5-foot-10, 211-pound 23-year-old in their split-safety-heavy coverages.

The Senior Bowl “gave us an opportunity to see him being a post player, play in the deep path, play in one-on-ones,” Roseman said. “And you saw the athleticism. And I think that really helped complete our process.”

The NFL combine, when Brown ran an above-average 4.47-second 40-yard dash, was perhaps the icing on the cake. While his straight-line speed was never in question, some scouts had expressed concern about his fluidity and ability to change directions.

But the same could be said of so many college safeties transitioning to the pros. Few succeed, which is why so many cornerbacks have been converted in the NFL. Just last season, the Eagles traded for slot corner C.J. Gardner-Johnson and successfully moved him to safety.

Gardner-Johnson played some safety in college. But he had the physical skills to play multiple spots. The Eagles, of course, didn’t re-sign Gardner-Johnson last month. It would be erroneous to suggest that his departure exemplified the Eagles’ lack of investment in the position.

» READ MORE: Inside Eagles free agency and Howie Roseman’s handling of C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Fletcher Cox, and Darius Slay

They made a competitive offer. But they moved on and devoted resources to a position they prioritize — inking cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry to new deals — and again left the cupboard barren at safety.

Blankenship remains and veteran Terrell Edmunds arrives on a one-year deal. But safety was arguably the Eagles’ thinnest spot entering the draft. Brown addresses a need, but it would be foolish to suggest that he’s a plug-and-play rookie, even considering the expenditure.

The Eagles’ record in drafting safeties, starting with Jarrett, has been underwhelming. In 2013, there was Earl Wolff (fifth round). In 2014, Jaylen Watkins (fourth round) split time between corner and safety, but never became a regular. Ed Reynolds (fifth round) never panned out. In 2016, Blake Countess (sixth round) was quickly forgotten.

The Eagles drafted several corners, like Jordan Poyer, Eric Rowe, and Jalen Mills, who would eventually become safeties either for them or other teams. Poyer, to Roseman’s dismay, would develop into a long-time starting safety in other environs.

The GM found ways to offset the draft errors, most prominently, through free agency with Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod. And he’s found some cost-effective solutions to bolster the depth at the position.

But he’s yet to find a starting safety in the draft. Brown could change all that.

The red stars came to Philly with former vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas, who brought with him from the Ravens their grading system. Ozzie Newsome and Phil Savage created the framework and came up with the red star idea.

“It goes back. It’s a long tradition — not only here, but a couple of places that people have been,” Roseman said. “And when we’re looking at the draft board, we have a red star on the guys, and [owner] Jeffrey [Lurie] a lot of times will go, ‘Hey, don’t forget if we’re deciding between those two guys, that’s a red star guy.’”

Roseman, when asked about previous red star prospects, named wide receiver DeVonta Smith and guard Landon Dickerson. He conveniently forgot former Eagles second-round receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside.

You can’t get them all right. There’s more to succeeding in the NFL than having outstanding character. But it helps.