The Eagles doubled down on cornerbacks on Day 2.
The round after taking Washington's Sidney Jones in the second (see story), the Eagles took a cornerback who can actually play this season, selecting West Virginia's Rasul Douglas with their third-round pick (99th overall) on Friday.
The Eagles had the 99th pick after the trade with the Ravens to get Timmy Jernigan. In that trade, the Eagles gave up the 74th pick and took back the 99th. They thought Douglas (see bio) was a player they would miss out on because of the move.
Luckily for them, he was still available at 99.
"It was a long way to go from (second-round pick) 43 to 99 but we feel that this guy fits our system, tremendous ball skills, length and someone who really was on our radar for a long time and had a really good process including at the Senior Bowl," Eagles VP of football operations Howie Roseman said.
The Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, was where the Eagles really started to like Douglas. While he was on their radar before, after being scouted by East Coast scout Ryan Myers, they were very impressed in Mobile.
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"The thing that really stood out at his week at the Senior Bowl, you probably hear me talk about it all the time, this guy is tough," VP of player personnel Joe Douglas said. "And very competitive. You saw it all week. Every rep was like the last rep he was playing. I love the way this guy competes."
Rasul Douglas, who ran a 4.59 time in the 40 at the combine, had eight interceptions in the 2016 season. While that 40 time is slower than ideal, Roseman praised Douglas' 10-yard split and said his length and ball skills help to make up for it.
The 6-foot-2, 203-pound corner was once a junior college player who became a first-teamer on the All-Big 12 team. At 6-2, Douglas is the Eagles' tallest corner by two inches. In the past, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has used smaller CBs.
While Douglas will be able to play early this season unlike Jones, the Eagles claim that wasn't the reason they came back with another cornerback pick so quickly.
"It didn't matter the position, it was just the ability to pick the best player," head coach Doug Pederson said. "And it just so happened it fit a need and we were fortunate there. This is a good player coming in here."
The last time the Eagles took two corners within the first three rounds was in 2002 when they double-dipped by taking Lito Sheppard in the first round and Sheldon Brown in the second.
This is the first time since 2012 the Eagles have picked a defensive player three times to start a draft.
The Eagles took defensive end Derek Barnett in the first round (14) (see story) and cornerback Jones in the second (43).
The draft will wrap up Saturday when the Eagles have five more picks in the fourth through seventh rounds. They have two in the fourth (118, 139) and one in the fifth (155), sixth (194) and seventh (230).
A huge need the Eagles have not addressed yet is at the running back position. Pederson said there are still one or two guys on the board who they like. A key for the Eagles is a back with three-down potential.