Leodis McKelvin

Leodis McKelvin played his first eight NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills, but he's starting anew in 2016 with the Philadelphia Eagles. (AP Photo/Gary Wiepert)

The deep, dark scar under Leodis McKelvin's left eye formed long before he emerged as a leader of the Philadelphia Eagles' cornerbacks this spring.

He was 5-year-old when the accident happened, playing outside in his home state of Georgia. Though his grandma warned against climbing the big tree behind their house, McKelvin jumped onto the branches anyway, only to lose his balance and plummet toward the ground.

The free fall ended near a chainlink fence, where a metal spike cut his face, leaving a gash that stretched several inches across his left cheek. McKelvin never went to the hospital for stitches.

"Na, my grandma just put some ointment on it, put a little band-aid on it and sent me back out there," McKevlin said Thursday.

Twenty-five years later, McKelvin is proud of the scar. It's a defining part of his look, and it serves to illustrate the fearlessness that's helped him impress Philadelphia Eagles coaches during offseason workouts.

The scar under Leodis McKelvin's left eye has been there for 25 years. "It's my battle wound," he said. (AP Photo)

McKelvin, 30, was cut by the Bills in March after eight seasons with the team and quickly signed a two-year, $6.2 million contract with the Eagles.

Ever since, he's asserted himself as the likely No. 1 corner on a team stocked with depth at the position.

"Leodis is probably the guy that's really stood out the most," head coach Doug Pederson said Thursday, just before the final day of minicamp. "He's a guy that's making plays quite a bit. He's getting his hands on balls, and doing things you expect out of a veteran corner. A smart guy, he's very athletic."

But above all, Pederson and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz agree McKelvin's gritty resolve separates him from the pack. Though he's just 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, McKelvin has been the most physical defensive back in Eagles' offseason practices.

He's vocal, too, often shouting with excitement when he breaks up a pass and screaming in frustration when he lets one slip by.

"He's physically and mentally tough," Schwartz said of McKelvin, the 11th overall selection in the 2008 NFL Draft, back in mid-May. "I don't know if you see that just looking at his body shape, but he'll go and throw his body around. He's a first-round draft pick. He's played at a high level in this league."

Schwartz coached McKelvin in Buffalo in 2014 and said the corner was "playing at a really high level" before breaking his leg in a midseason game against the Miami Dolphins.

McKevlin struggled to recover from the injury and wasn't activated until midway through the 2015 season, but he eventually regained his starting role in a new defense under Rex Ryan. In fact, McKevlin said he's had to bounce back from broken legs at three different points in his career, and he's managed to re-establish himself as a productive corner after each injury.

Now that he's in Philadelphia, he'll likely be a starter again. The team does have other intriguing options at cornerback: Nolan Carroll and Eric Rowe both started at times last season, Ron Brooks is another experienced player who came over from Buffalo and rookie Jalen Mills has impressed coaches with his athleticism.

But Pederson made clear Thursday McKelvin has been the leader of the cornerbacks on and off the field.

And McKelvin credits the success to his toughness. He doesn't need to say that, though -- you can see it on his face.

"This scar means a lot to me because it's my battle wound," McKelvin said. "I can't go nowhere without it."

-- @AaronKazreports