In the two years Chip Kelly has coached the Eagles, secondary has been a glaring flaw. Kelly was out to change that in this draft, selecting three cornerbacks with his first five picks in the draft.
The third was cornerback Randall Evans, picked 196th overall in the sixth round.
Evans is 6'0", 190 pounds out of Kansas State, and follows the trend Kelly has continued to set this draft in selecting players of sound football knowledge.
Here is a scouting report on the newest Eagles cornerback.
In his senior season at Kansas State, Evans recorded 64 tackles including 4 1/2 for loss. In his last two seasons, he had six interceptions and 22 passes defended, a strong total for a slot starter.
Evans is strong in the slot, no question about it. He has solid speed but struggled to recovery when he's been beat on routes.
He's a solid tackler, though his aggressive style of tackling can often get him in trouble. Despite that, he can perform well against the run.
His intelligence is his true strength, as he uses good football knowledge to read the play and is able to keep positioning very well in coverage.
He may have been available later than where the Eagles grabbed him, as his initial projections were in the seventh round and even the potential as an undrafted free agent, but the Eagles have continued to round out the secondary with depth.
No doubt about it, the Eagles are in position to have many options as they put together a defense for the upcoming season.
Kevin Durso is a contributing writer and editorial assistant for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
