Earlier this week, we did a seven round mock draft for the Eagles. If you have not already checked it out, you should. It's chalk full of good information on potential prospects the Eagles could target in the upcoming draft.
But one of the limitations of a mock draft is that it is largely dependent on guesswork. It is almost impossible to predict which prospect will be available when the Eagles pick. So we wanted to supplement the mock draft with posts on several prospects that the Eagles can target in each round of the draft.
One thing to keep in mind moving forward: of the 33 confirmed draft visits for the Eagles, 27 were concentrated in four positions: nine were in the secondary, nine were wide receivers, five were OLB/DE prospects and four were offensive lineman. Not coincidentally, those are the four biggest holes on the Eagles roster. So we will focus considerable attention on prospects at that position.
We start off first round coverage by looking at one of my personal favorite prospects, Trae Waynes, the cornerback from Michigan State.
Trae Waynes, CB, MSU:
He is 6'1, 186 lbs, and has good speed, as he reportedly runs the 40 in the 4.42 range. He excels at press man coverage and in zone coverage. He is physical, not afraid to play the run (and in fact excels in that regard), and has success against big receivers.
He is pegged to be one of the first corners taken in the draft. So he might be gone by the time the Eagles pick. But if he is available, he would be a no brainer decision.
Waynes is becoming the Ha Ha Clinton-Dix of the 2015 draft for me. He checks all the boxes we need, and looks like the perfect fit for the Eagles. So brace yourself. It likely means he is going to get drafted one pick before the Birds.
Here is an advanced scouting report from one of my favorite scouting sites, WalterFootball.com:
Waynes looks like a No. 1 cornerback who is capable of going head-to-head with primary NFL receivers. He is a tall, long corner who can cover big receivers. His height and length let him prevent wideouts from making catches over him. Waynes also is fast enough and athletic enough to run with them in and out of their breaks to prevent separation. He even has the speed to run with speed receivers, so he is capable of covering any kind of No. 1 wideout.
Waynes is used to lining up on the outside, so if his team wants to use him in the slot, he could need some time to get used to that. It also wouldn't hurt Waynes to add some weight for the NFL to fight with strong receivers.
In the ground game, Waynes is a quality tackler and a willing contributor. He is physical with receivers and running backs with a gritty mentality.
Waynes should be selected quickly in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft and could be a quality 10-year starter with some Pro Bowl seasons during his career.
Per MockDraftTable.com, here is Trae Waynes spider chart. As you can see, he has upper echelon speed for a corner, and also excelled in the bench press and vertical jump.
Here is a video highlight of Waynes against none other than Chip Kelly's former team Oregon:
Click here, here and here for additional scouting reports on Waynes if you are so inclined.
Conclusion: Waynes will likely be the first cornerback taken in the draft. He projects as a true number one corner, with the size, speed, and athleticism to matchup against top flight wide receivers. The Eagles will likely have to trade up to the 12-15 range to land him, but it will be capital well spent given the importance of having an elite corner. Paired with 27 year old Byron Maxwell, the Eagles could be set at cornerback for the foreseeable future.
Patrick Causey is a writer for Eagledelphia and can be followed on Twitter @PhillySportsJD
