The next Malcolm Jenkins? NFL draft has several versatile safeties who might be able to fill the former Eagles’ shoes.

(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 7 of our eight-part series, he looks at the draft’s safeties.)

With versatility-obsessed NFL defensive coordinators looking for bigger safeties who can play linebacker, it should come as no surprise that they’re also looking for corners who can play safety.

You need to look no further than the Eagles defense for evidence of that, where, after parting ways with three-time Pro Bowl safety Malcolm Jenkins, Jim Schwartz is planning to move cornerback Jalen Mills into Jenkins’ old spot.

This month’s draft will feature a lot of safeties with a corner background.

“You’ve got a hodgepodge of a lot of guys who aren’t really safeties," NFL Network draft analyst Ben Fennell said. “You’re getting a lot of corners who are moving to safety. These are big corners with cover skills and receiver backgrounds that can do a lot of things for you."

NFL teams want safeties who can do more than be the last line of defense. They want them to be able to drop down and cover the slot receiver, cover matchup-nightmare tight ends, provide run support and blitz.

“The Xavier McKinneys [Alabama], Grant Delpits [LSU], and Jeremy Chinns [Southern Illinois] of the world can do a lot of things for a defensive back group,” Fennell said of his top-three-rated safeties. “You want guys that can play on the back end, that can play the nickel for you, be blitzers, aren’t liabilities as run-defenders. There are lot of guys in this draft that can plug and play on the back end on Sundays.

“It’s a good draft if you need a nickel, if you need a strong safety, if you need a matchup player like an Antoine Winfield [Minnesota] or a Nigel Warrior [Tennessee] or a Geno Stone [Iowa]. I think it’s a really exciting safety group."

Fennell thinks four or five safeties could go in the first two rounds . And that doesn’t include Isaiah Simmons (Clemson), who is listed as a safety on some draft boards.

“You could see Simmons and Chinn come off the board as linebackers. You could see Delpit and McKinney squeeze in there. Kyle Dugger out of Lenoire-Rhyme is starting to get some buzz too."

Xavier McKinney, Alabama, 6-1, 200, 4.63

Grant Delpit, LSU, 6-2, 213, N/A

Jeremy Chinn, S. Ill., 6-3, 221, 4.45

Antoine Winfield, Minnesota, 5-9, 203, 4.45

Khaleke Hudson, Michigan, 5-11, 224, 4.56

Xavier McKinney

Alabama

6-1, 200

Arms: 30⅞ inches

Hands: 8⅝ inches

40 time: 4.63 seconds

Vertical jump: 36.0 inches

225 bench: 19 reps

Fennell’s take: “McKinney reminds me a lot of Malcolm Jenkins. He played dime linebacker in some sub-packages. He’s a really good tackler as a free safety as that last line of defense. He can cover slot receivers or tight ends. In 2018, on the way to the national championship game, you can watch him defending Oklahoma tight end Grant Calcaterra, who was a big-move tight end. You can watch him against Clemson guarding Hunter Renfrow, a shifty slot receiver who caught 49 passes for the Raiders this season.

“So he’s shown an ability to cover a good mix of middle-of-the-field offensive weapons. He was actually defensive MVP of that Orange Bowl win over Oklahoma. He played a lot of special teams early in his career. Has had equal time as a slot defender, a free safety, and a box linebacker. Just like Malcolm Jenkins. Just like Charles Woodson when he was with the Packers. He’s that perfect style of 2020 DB where you’re near the line of scrimmage.

“Watching him against LSU this year, he was in the box a lot. He was great in run support against Clyde Edwards-Helaire. He’s a finishing tackler. Fearless. The fact that he can blitz, provide run support, has coverage skills and ball skills is huge. He can make plays while retreating, which is a huge trait for safeties. You have to be able to make plays with your back to the quarterback and find the ball."

Round projection: 1

Jeremy Chinn

S. Illinois

6-3, 221

Arms: 32⅛ inches

Hands: 9⅝ inches

40 time: 4.45 seconds

Vertical jump: 41 inches

225 Bench: 20 reps

Fennell’s take: “He weighed 208 last summer. Showed up at the Senior Bowl at 219 and was 221 at the combine. He kept getting bigger and bigger, but it didn’t seem to be a problem for him. He ran 4.45. Had the second biggest wingspan at the Senior Bowl. He has long arms. He’s explosive. He jumped 41 inches and broaded 11-6.

“Now, we’re calling Isaiah Simmons a linebacker and this guy a safety. But Chinn is the Day 2 version of Isaiah Simmons. If you just took both of their helmets and shoulder pads off and told them to walk down the hall, you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart, even though Simmons is 17 pounds heavier. They’re both broad, long, tall, the whole deal. They’re both the whole package.

“Chinn played a little more on the back end. Simmons played a little bit more forward. D.J. [Daniel Jeremiah] put him in his top 50 recently and switched him to linebacker. So there’s some that think he’s that bigger guy who can come down and play in the box like Simmons. I’m keeping him at safety. That’s where he played the most in college.

“Chinn reminds me a little bit of Kenny Phillips coming out of Miami several years ago. An outstanding special-teams player. Free safety. Can cover the slot. He’s really annoying to try to throw around in the middle of the field. He’s made tons of rangy plays on the back end. He can make plays from the middle of the field out to the sidelines. The guy has an extra gear to close when he needs it.

“In 2018, against Missouri State, he actually played corner. So he has a little bit more of a back-end defensive back pedigree than Simmons. But like some other players, he’s also had a variety of injuries. In 2016, he missed three games with a shoulder injury. In 2018, he missed two games with a hamstring. This past year, he missed two games with a foot injury. But he’s a really explosive player, and he put that on full display at the combine with the jumps and the times."

Round projection: 2-3

Geno Stone

Iowa

5-10, 210

Arms: 29¼ inches

Hands: 9⅛ inches

40 time: 4.62 seconds

Vertical jump: 33½ inches

225 bench: 12 reps

Fennell’s take: “Stone is a really good athlete. He played a variety of positions in high school, ran track. Played basketball. Won a special-teams award at Iowa early in his career. He’s a fluid, really smooth player. He had an excellent game against Michigan this past year. He’s rangy, twitchy. He can react to slot receivers. He has loose hips. Has the click-and-close ability. He’s really tough in the flat in run support. He can defend the alley and all of that perimeter action.

“Stone occasionally drops his head on tackles and loses sight of the ball carrier. But these Iowa defensive backs have really come along the past 10 years in the NFL. They have a good track record of success. This is a guy that played on a team that didn’t get a lot of wins this year. So not a lot of people are talking about him. But he’s really good athlete and looked good at the combine.

“This past year, he had three forced fumbles. I always like to see forced fumbles. It means a guy is getting to the ball carrier and doing something when he gets there. He’ll be a core special-teams player in the NFL and I don’t think he’ll have any issue with being that third or fourth safety on a team who also maybe can play that nickel role for you, maybe be a backup safety for you. Kind of the way Chris Maragos carved out a very good career coming out of Wisconsin."

Round projection: 6-7