It wasn't that long ago when the Philadelphia Eagles were 10-1 with the best record in the entire NFL. It also wasn't very long ago when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were 4-7 with all playoff hopes seemingly lost. And yet, it was the Bucs who were hosting a playoff game against the Eagles and entered the game with a better point differential between the two. The Bucs carried that positive momentum into the Super Wild Card round and trounced the Eagles by a final score of 32-9.
All kinds of questions are now being asked about the Eagles. Are they really going to fire their head coach Nick Sirianni? Will veteran stalwarts like Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox follow Jason Kelce into retirement? Those are questions that will be answered soon. But the main question for the Eagles to answer will be how can they improve their team? The NFL Draft is a great place for Howie Roseman to do just that. Two players, in particular, stand out as players the Eagles should look at for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Terrion Arnold, Cornerback, Alabama
The place where the Eagles should look to bolster through the draft is undoubtedly their secondary. A year after the Eagles led the NFL in EPA allowed per dropback, Philadelphia dropped all the way to 28th in that same metric in 2023. Things did not get much better in the postseason.
Baker Mayfield, yes, the same Baker Mayfield that was momentarily out of the NFL, cooked the Eagles to the tune of 337 yards and three touchdowns on 22-36 passing. He could've had even more yards if he and Mike Evans were able to connect on a few deep shots down the field.
https://twitter.com/2MANYBRIDGES/status/1747070628681679211
Someone who can help the Eagles prevent plays like this would be Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold. Arnold may be overshadowed a bit by Alabama's other standout corner Kool-Aid McKinstry, but Arnold is stout in his own right. Not only did Arnold have five interceptions last season for the Tide, but he also had 63 total tackles, which was a big issue for the Eagles in their Wild Card defeat. Arnold's PFF Grade is near the top among corners in this upcoming class.
The Eagles nearly waived Darius Slay last offseason before coming to a resolution regarding his contract. However, both he and James Bradberry took big steps back this season. The Eagles can get out from both of their contracts after the 2024 season. By that time, a rookie corner like Terrion Arnold should be ready to roll.
Tyler Nubin, Safety, Minnesota
As mentioned earlier, tackling in Philadelphia's season-ending loss was atrocious. David Moore, who was out of the league until Week 12 of this season, broke a 44-yard touchdown after a series of atrocious tackling by the Eagles.
Trey Palmer, a rookie sixth-round pick, did virtually the same thing to ice the game.
Tackling at the cornerback position will be paramount to address for the Eagles, but the same will be said at the safety position as well as finding a ballhawk who can prevent big plays. Minnesota's Tyler Nubin looks like the perfect player for the Eagles. He can do both of those things at a very high level but specializes in his ball skills.
There are a few options for the Eagles at safety in this upcoming draft, but Tyler Nubin looks like exactly what the Eagles need. He and Terrion Arnold would go a long way in fixing the Eagles' secondary in the future.
Follow Us
Subscribe