Back in April, prior to the 2015 NFL Draft, Eagles quasi-GM Ed

laid out

, from a big-picture level, in three parts. Those three parts were height-weight-speed, position specifics, and character.

Marynowitz

On the "position specifics" front, evidence would clearly indicate that the Eagles prioritize defensive backs who get their hands on the ball. I aggregated the number of pass breakups that each of the 31 cornerbacks that were selected in the 2015 NFL Draft had in 2013 and 2014. The three corners the Eagles drafted all landed among the top six players in that category, including the #1 overall player, sixth round pick JaCorey Shepherd:

Player Team PBU - 2014 PBU - 2013 TOTAL JaCorey Shepherd Eagles 15 13 28 Darryl Roberts Patriots 17 7 24 Dexter McDonald Raiders 13 10 23 Randall Evans Eagles 10 12 22 D'Joun Smith Colts 8 13 21 Eric Rowe Eagles 13 7 20 Craig Mager Chargers 10 9 19 Doran Grant Steelers 9 10 19 Kevin Johnson Texans 6 12 18 Lorenzo Doss Broncos 9 9 18 P.J. Williams Saints 10 7 17 Alex Carter Lions 9 8 17 Charles Gaines Browns 10 7 17 Marcus Peters Chiefs 7 9 16 Steven Nelson Chiefs 8 8 16 Damian Swann Saints 8 8 16 Quandre Diggs Lions 5 10 15 Ifo Ekpre-Olomu Browns 9 6 15 Trae Waynes Vikings 8 5 13 Tevin Mitchel Redskins 8 5 13 Byron Jones Cowboys 4 8 12 Jalen Collins Falcons 9 2 11 Senquez Golson Steelers 8 3 11 Quinten Rollins Packers 9 0 9 Ronald Darby Bills 4 4 8 Bobby McCain Dolphins 4 4 8 Josh Shaw Bengals 0 7 7 Taurean Nixon Broncos 4 1 5 Akeem King Falcons 2 2 4 Tray Walker* Ravens N/A N/A N/A Tye Smith* Seahawks N/A N/A N/A

*PBU stats for Tray Walker and Tye Smith could not be located.

Additionally:

• The Eagles brought in the #2 player on the list, Darryl Roberts, for a pre-draft visit.

• The only undrafted defensive back the Eagles signed was Coastal Carolina's Denzel Rice, who had 22 pass breakups the last two years, which would tie him with Randall Evans for 4th on the list.



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