Underrated Day 2 Fits for the Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles’ offseason has had its fair share of chaotic moves in attempts to replenish the once aging roster with flourishing young talent. Philly currently has the youngest coaching staff in football, and you add to that the 11 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft (most among any team), it certainly looks like Philadelphia is tending forward. However, the main concern among Eagles fans lies ahead of us; will Howie Roseman hit on any of these picks? Well, I am here today to breakdown 3 of my favorite day 2 prospects that have been flying under the radar.
The first prospect I will be taking a look at is none other than Northwestern's feisty Greg Newsome. Newsome is a 6'1 DB and chalked a 4.38 40-yard time. Greg Newsome made plays all over the field in his breakout campaign with 9 passes defended and 1 interception. To put the cherry on top, Newsome only allowed 15.5 yards per game in coverage and there were 3 games he didn't allow a single yard in coverage! Newsome is a great press-man corner with amazing ball skills and fluid hip movement. Although, he needs to get better in run support and zone coverage, both of which he is often exploited. Greg Newsome would be that number 2 corner opposite Slay that the Eagles so desperately need, and he is someone that would fit perfectly into Jonathan Gannon's hybrid defense that relies on play-making outside corners.
Next up we'll take a look at UNC's ultra-dynamic Dyami Brown. Brown is a big-play weapon that averaged over 20 yards per-catch since 2019 and he had 20 touchdowns in 23 games during that time span. Brown broke onto the scene in 2019 with Phil Longo's arrival in Chapel Hill. However, Dyami Brown ran a limited route tree at UNC, as there were only 3 routes he consistently ran; go routes, comeback routes, and slants. Brown had spectacular production for such a limited route tree, and he is in a near-identical situation to NFL superstars DK Metcalf and AJ Brown. The consensus on Metcalf and AJ Brown at Ole Miss were that they could only run 3 routes; goes, comebacks, and slants. Does anyone want to guess who their offensive coordinator was in college? That’s right, none other than Dyami Brown's current OC, Phil Longo. Dyami Brown is a very physical wideout that has an amazing catch point and run after catch ability, exactly the receivers Sirianni thrived within Indianapolis. However, Dyami has a slight case of the drops as he lets some easy one's getaway, something he definitely needs to improve on if he wants to be the top dog in a town like Philly.
One defensive back that fits into Gannon's defense like a glove is the lengthy Syracuse defender Ifeatu Melifonwu. Melifonwu is a tall outside corner with long arms, as he checks in at 6'3”. Melifonwu also ran a 4.48 which is very impressive for someone of his size. Melifonwu is a physical press zone corner that has spectacular technique and he's also solid in run support. Melifonwu has the potential to develop his ball skills, along with man coverage. Ifeatu had 8 passes defended in 10 games, which is solid production, but he needs to improve on his ball skills if he is to become a starter in the NFL. Many scouts believe Melifonwu would be ideal as a safety or a bigger slot, but he would play all over in the hybrid disguise defense that Jonathan Gannon is bringing from Indianapolis. However, the Eagles defense features one of the best safety tandems in the league, so Melifonwu might be best used as an outside corner opposite of Pro Bowler Darius Slay.