There are cornerbacks aplenty after the Eagles attacked the position in free agency and now the draft.
With the 191st pick, the Eagles selected cornerback JaCorey Shepherd.
Shepherd is a 5'11", 199-pound wide receiver turned defensive back out of Kansas who was projected to go somewhere in the fifth round. So after the Eagles spent most of the afternoon watching other teams make picks, they got a steal with their first pick of the day.
Here is more on the newest Eagles cornerback.
In his final two seasons at Kansas, both as a starter, Shepherd recorded 28 passes defended and five interceptions, as well as 75 tackles.
He'll certainly serve as more of a depth player, but Shepherd again comes as a highly intelligent player. He's good at attacking the ball, reading the play and anticipating well.
The biggest concern to Shepherd's game is his speed and tackling. In a situation where he's forced to make a play on the ball carrier, it's not his strong suit.
What gives him the potential to be a solid pickup is the fact that he's very strong in the passing game and coverage. Work your way past him or find a way to get open, and you might be able to get past him with speed and strength.
He's a good fit for the slot in that sense, and certainly has enough ability in defending passes to make an impact immediately. The rest of his game will have to evolve, as most players in the late rounds do, but unlike some of the players Chip Kelly took late in last year's draft, he shouldn't need to avoid the field to grow. He could fall into some of the Eagles coverage options immediately.
That said, in the middle of the sixth round, there is no such thing as a reach and steals are aplenty. The Eagles had a wealth of secondary options that slipped to their availability and they grabbed one.
Kevin Durso is a contributing writer and editorial assistant for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
