Cornerback Cary Williams will no longer be a part of the Philadelphia Eagles' secondary. The team released the veteran, who was set to earn $6.5 million in 2015, and could now be looking for a defensive back in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Let's put aside the speculation of head coach Chip Kelly making a big run at Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota for the moment. In the latest mock drafts of Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay, each ESPN Insider has the Eagles selecting a defensive back with the 20th overall pick, which comes as no surprise since Philadelphia's secondary ranked 31st in pass defense (4,238 yards surrendered) and yards per game (265), 28th in touchdowns (30) and 27th in yards per attempt (7.8).
Even with Williams it was believed the Eagles would be chasing one of the top corners or safeties in the draft. Safety Nate Allen is also scheduled to hit free agency and that will be another area Chip Kelly could opt to address. As a result, Alabama safety Landon Collins (McShay) or Washington cornerback Marcus Peters (Kiper) are projected to land in Philly in the upcoming draft.
Collins and Peters are both in Kiper's and McShay's top 25 prospects as well, which put the Eagles in a good position to land one of them if they're looking to fill their voids in the secondary in the first round. Below is their analysis of each projected draft pick.
McShay on Collins: "Collins is a really impressive athlete for a safety. He is built like a weakside linebacker but has very good straight-line speed (4.53 40). He is limited some in man-to-man coverage, but he has good range in deep zone coverage and fills hard in run support."
Kiper on Peters: "A highly instinctive cover corner, what you see on tape is a player who can "run the route" for the receiver and put himself in position to make plays because he can hang with receivers but also get his head around and locate the ball. Peters is a willing tackler and a competitive guy who doesn't back down against good competition. But he was also a live wire on the sideline last season and ended up booted off the team at Washington."
Collins' all-around ability could trump Peters, even without the cornerback's off-field issues. Philadelphia has been known for their strong safeties over the years and it looks like Collins would be the best fit alongside Malcolm Jenkins.
However, the Alabama safety is ranked 13th on Kiper's big board and 18th on McShay's, which means there's a solid chance he doesn't fall to the Eagles at No. 20. If he gets taken then the Eagles might look at Peters if he is within reach by then.
