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Deone Bucannon is considered one of the top five safeties in the NFL draft this year

( Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

The Eagles' race to the NFL Draft is coming into the stretch run, and as it does, they are bringing in one of the prospects they have been linked to since the beginning.

Deone Bucannon, safety from Washington State, is visiting the Eagles on Tuesday and Wednesday, a league source told NJ.com. Bucannon will have dinner with the team on Tuesday, and will meet with coaches during the day on Wednesday.

After Bucannon's visit with the Eagles, the safety will head to New York to meet with the New York Jets on Wednesday night before a more formal meeting on Thursday.

By coincidence or not, outside linebacker Anthony Barr of UCLA is also scheduled to visit the Eagles on Wednesday -- meaning two of the top defensive prospects who have been linked to the team will both be in the building at the same time.

Bucannon, 6-foot-1, 211 pounds, is one of the hardest hitting safeties in the draft and is currently projected to go somewhere in the second round. After meeting with 18 teams so far, however, there seems to be a better chance of him going in the first round then there is of him slipping into the third round.

That means the Eagles have to decide if they want to take Bucannon at No. 22, or risk seeing him go off the board before they pick again at No. 54.

How bad the Eagles' need or want a safety isn't clear, as Bucannon is one of the only safety prospects they are known to have shown interest. The team spent big money on Malcolm Jenkins this summer, and re-signed veteran Nate Allen. With rookie Earl Wolff also on the roster, the team's need for another young safety to develop isn't exactly pressing.

The fact that they are bringing in Bucannon, however, could mean they don't view Allen or Wolff as ideal starters for this season next to Jenkins. It could also mean that they are not sold on Wolff as a longterm solution.

Either way, one thing is clear -- they have serious interest in Bucannon.

Follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks