There are a lot of good cornerbacks in this year’s draft, but can the Eagles find them?

(Ben Fennell is an Emmy Award-winning producer, editor and researcher across several media platforms, including the NFL Network and ESPN College Football. He worked with Mike Mayock on the NFL Network’s draft coverage for five years, and has worked the last two years with Daniel Jeremiah. You can follow him on Twitter at @benfennell_NFL. For the second straight year, Ben is breaking down each position in the draft for the Inquirer. Today, in part 8 of our eight-part series, he looks at the draft’s cornerbacks.)

Despite trading for one cornerback (Darius Slay) and adding another (Nickell Robey-Coleman) via free agency last month, the Eagles likely still will be looking to add at least one more in the draft.

While their recent track record in appraising corners hasn’t been very good, it’s a position they must solidify if they hope to achieve their goal of being a year-in-and-year-out Super Bowl contender.

While Slay and Robey-Coleman both seem to be positive acquisitions, Slay is closer to the end of his career than the beginning, and the 28-year-old Robey-Coleman signed only a one-year deal. So he’ll probably be looking for a furnished apartment near the airport.

The good news for the Eagles is this is a deep cornerback draft, both inside and outside. So they will have an opportunity to find at least one good, young corner.

“This is a really good group," NFL Network draft analyst Ben Fennell said. “You’ve got some guys, like Jeffrey Okudah [Ohio State], Trevon Diggs [Alabama] and C.J. Henderson [Florida] that appear to have been constructed in press-man petri dishes. Long, big, strong, fast.

“They played press coverage throughout their college careers. They have the pedigree. And then you have a lot of other guys who played good football, like Damon Arnette [Ohio State] and Kristian Fulton [LSU] and Bryce Hall [Virginia]. There are a lot of guys in this draft with good production and speed."

Okudah is expected to be a top-five pick. Henderson probably will go in the mid-teens. Everybody else could be in play for the Eagles at 21, though the smart money still says they’re taking a wideout in the first round.

But with four picks in the third and fourth rounds, they will have opportunities to take a corner on Day 2 or early on Day 3.

There also are a number of good slot corners in this draft, including Fennell’s two top-rated nickels, K’Von Wallace (Clemson) and Shyheim Carter (Alabama).

“There are a lot of guys collectively in this draft at corner, nickel, and safety that teams would love to add to their defensive-back room," Fennnell said. “Everybody wants to get into nickel, get into dime, but not announce it.

“Can you sneak in a bigger nickel that can be a run defender for you, a blitzer, a coverage player? That’s the name of the game. Trying to find guys who aren’t liabilities. Having versatile DBs that you can move around is the name of the game right now.”

Jeff Okudah, Ohio State, 6-1, 205, 4.48

C.J. Henderson, Florida, 6-1, 204, 4.39

Trevon Diggs, Alabama, 6-1, 205, N/A

Jeff Gladney, TCU, 5-10, 191, 4.48

Kristian Fulton, LSU, 6-0, 197, 4.46

Jeff Okudah

6-1, 205

Ohio State

Arms: 32⅝ inches

Hands: 9⅛ inches

40 time: 4.48 seconds

VJ: 41 inches

225 bench: 11 reps

Fennell’s take: “He’s long, strong, and fast. That’s the perfect combo. Ran a 4.48, but he’s 6-1 and 205. You’re not some shrimp that can just run fast or some tall guy that’s a stiff. He jumped 41 inches and [broad-jumped] 11-3.

“Byron Jones and Aqib Talib are perfect comps for this guy. He looks like he was made in a lab somewhere. I don’t think he had any penalties last year. He was the No. 1 corner coming out of high school and lived up to it. Elite burst and closing speed. Takes great angles. Has a terrific football IQ. Great route recognition. Quick feet. Great balance. Really good jam strength and press. He can turn and run vertically.

“Negatives, he occasionally will lose the ball down the field like all corners do occasionally. Sometimes, at the catch point, his timing’s a little bit off. Sometimes he’s too physical, but given that he didn’t get called for anything, I guess it’s not a problem. Sometimes, you’re so pushy and grabby in coverage that it doesn’t stand out when you’re pushy and grabby in coverage. There are guys in the NFL that have carved out successful careers like that. If you do it all the time, you’re not going to get called all the time. It’s just your play style."

Round projection: 1, top 5 pick

Noah Igbinoghene

Auburn

5-10, 198

Arms: 31¾ inches

Hands: 9⅜ inches

40 time: 4.48 inches

VJ: 37 inches

225 bench: 15 reps

Fennell’s take: “A really productive player. He had 18 pass breakups the past two years. He also ran track for Auburn. Competed in the long jump and triple jump. This guy is a converted receiver, and I love seeing corners that are converted receivers. He converted to corner in the spring of ’18. Guys that were receivers just have an understanding of route combinations and timing and ball skills. It’s just great to have that pedigree.

“He’s fast. He’s athletic. He can click-and-close. Has great instincts. I think he has some potential to maybe slide in and play some nickel. But he played mostly on the outside at Auburn. He shut down the who’s who of SEC receivers. He had a press-man [pass breakup] against Jamar Chase. Defended a slot fade against Alabama’s Devante Smith. Had another PBU on a press-man slant against Van Jefferson of Florida.

“[ESPN’s Mel] Kiper even mocked him to the Chiefs at 32 in late Janaury. I don’t think he’ll go that high, but he’s a guy who’s really been rising up boards here late in the season. There’s a ton of good tape on him. You can watch him against LSU and Alabama. They opened the season against Oregon and Justin Herbert. You can watch him against Jake Browning and Washington in 2018. He reminds me a little bit of Prince Amukamara coming out of Nebraska. He also did some kick-returning."

Round projection: 3

Reggie Robinson

6-1, 202

Tulsa

Arms: 31½ inches

Hands: 8⅜ inches

40 time: 4.44 seconds

VJ:36.0 inches

225 bench: 22 reps

Fennell’s take: “Robinson had a terrific workout in Indy. He’s a redshirt senior. He played in 41 games at Tulsa. Nearly 2,500 snaps. He had tons of production. Thirty-four PBUs, four picks, four blocked kicks. Has a big special-teams upside. He had really good battles this year against good receivers, including Tylan Wallace [Oklahoma State] and Gabriel Davis [UCF] and James Proche [SMU].

“He is the Day 3 version of Jeffrey Okudah. He looks a lot like Okudah. Plays like him. The size, the speed, the length, the play personality, the frame, the long arms, the press skills. He’s also really good in zone. When you just watch his highlight plays, you see a play in press, a play in off, a play in Cover 2, a play in Cover 3. I like seeing the variety of plays on his highlight reel.

“When you’re talking 2020 corners that are over 6 feet, over 200 pounds, are running under 4.5 and are [broad-jumping] 10-6 – which means guys that are big, heavy, fast, and explosive – there’s just three. Okudah, C.J. Henderson, and this guy.

“The one issue I have with him is, unlike Okudah, he got called for everything. He had eight penalties in 2019. Very grabby, very physical. Lot of eyeballs on him and they didn’t give him the benefit of the doubt like they did Okudah."

Round projection: 4-5

K’Von Wallace, Clemson, 5-11, 205, 4.53

Shyheim Carter, Alabama, 5-10, 194, N/A

Brian Cole, Mississippi State, 6-2, 213, 4.52

Terrell Burgess, Utah, 5-11, 202, 4.46

Chris Williamson, Minnesota, 5-11, 190, 4.43

K’Von Wallace

Clemson

5-11, 205

Arms: 31 inches

Hands: 9⅛ inches

40 time: 4.53

VJ: 38.0 inches

225 bench: 11

Fennell’s take: “He had a really good collective performance at the combine. He was all-state on both sides of the ball in high school as a receiver and defensive back. He’s an experienced player. Played in 44 career games and had 21 starts. His Clemson teams won the national championship in 2016 and again in 2018. You can find him in big games.

“He’s done micro internships with Cisco and the NFL. He’s just a guy you want in your locker room. He’s smart. He’s experienced. Well-spoken. Pick any of these 10-15-year safeties or nickels in the NFL. He’s what I see. The Antoine Betheas of the world. The Tony Jeffersons. The kind of guys, you can’t kill their careers. I just see Wallace being one of those guys.

“You watch him against LSU this year in the championship game, he played well. He has a lot of big-game experience. Some of the issues I had going into this year, I didn’t know if he had the recovery speed. I didn’t know if he had that extra gear or not. He’s a little short-armed and has a small frame. Minimal ball production. He only had 11 pass breakups prior to this year. He had better production this year, but there still are concerns about his recovery speed and the lack of an extra gear.

“He also was an effective blitzer for (Clemson defensive coordinator) Brent Venables, which adds to his value. That nickel defender needs to be a pseudo run-defender, pseudo blitzer. He’s mostly a cover player, but you have to be able to wear those different hats.

Round projection: 2

Brian Cole

Mississippi State

6-2, 213

Arms: 31⅜ inches

Hands: 10 inches

40 time: 4.52 seconds

VJ: N/A

225 bench: N/A

Fennell’s take: “Cole was a Michigan transfer. He was a four-star recruit coming out of high school. Then goes to East Mississippi, a.k.a. Last Chance U, and winds up at Mississippi State. He’s a really tough nickel/slot safety. He had some violent, violent plays in the alley. As a blitzer, he blew up a lot of perimeter screens. He’s tall. He’s long. He blitzes a hundred miles an hour. He doesn’t slow down. He blasts some quarterbacks and some running backs when he gets there.

“Occasionally he got formationed into a linebacker role, which he was OK with. He’s got the size to handle that. He’s a really good run-supporter. He plays fast and fearless and he’s everything you want in that alley player. He reminds me a lot of Morgan Burnett, who was more of a safety for the Packers and the Steelers coming out of Georgia Tech. He has that big size presence and can cover for you and be a good blitzer. He’s another guy with a receiver background, which you see in his ball skills."

Round projection: 4-5

Chris Williamson

Minnesota

5-11, 190

Arms: 30⅜ inches

Hands: 8¾ inches

40 time:4.43 seconds

VJ: N/A

225 Bench: N/A

Fennell’s take: “Williamson was a Florida transfer. He sat out 2017. I love guys from Florida. They just play differently. They’re faster. They’re looser. He was a receiver/DB coming out of high school. He made a bunch of really good particular plays this past year. He had a PBU on fourth-and-goal against K.J. Hamler and Penn State. On a third-and-1 against Fresno State, he shed a block and made a tackle on a running back for no gain.

“He fills up the stat sheet in a variety of ways playing that slot position. Antoine Winfield made a lot of the splash plays for Minnesota. The interceptions. But Chris Williamson did a lot of the dirty work being the blitzer, the run-supporter. He’s not super-twitchy. But he has a good physical presence and can fight off blocks.

“He’s another guy who wasn’t invited to the combine, which disappointed a lot of coaches who wanted to get a closer look at what he could do. He’s a bit of a high tackler, but he’s feisty.

Projected round: 6-7