Eagles target secondary help on second day of draft

Day 2 of the NFL Draft is over and the Eagles, after making their obligatory trade, made a pair of picks. While the Eagles stood pat and used their 2nd round pick, they moved 5 spots down in the 3rd round and picked up an extra 6th round pick. The Eagles are very good about targeting a player they want and then moving down and still selecting him, all the while picking up an extra pick or two in the later rounds. As for who they ended up taking, after going for an offensive lineman yesterday, the Eagles spent some time shoring up their secondary.

Round 2, pick 23 (55th overall): Jaiquawn Jarrett, S, Temple
For the second year in a row, the Eagles drafted a safety in the second round, this time pulling in a local kid. Jarrett was a very good player at Temple, starting all four years, and was a big contributor on special teams as an underclassman. He is known as a big hitter and a great tackler, though he isn't particularly big or fast. There are some questions about how good he is in coverage, something that might limit him to safety and not allow him to move to corner in the NFL. Jarrett was seen as a bit of a reach by draft pundits, with many targeting him as a 3rd round selection. The Eagles clearly see something in him and may need him to step in right away if Nate Allen is still banged up or if Quintin Mikell doesn't come back. Even if he is a reach, all indications are that he is a great kid and a hard worker, so he could develop into a solid contributor down the road.

Round 3, pick 26 (90th overall): Curtis Marsh, CB, Utah St.
Finally, the Eagles address their most glaring need: cornerback. Marsh is another pick that could be viewed as a reach for the Eagles, as "experts" saw him as a middle to late round pick. Marsh was originally a RB at Utah Sate but converted to corner for the last two seasons. With how much work Marsh is going to need to develop into an NFL caliber cornerback, I wouldn't count on him starting opposite Asante Samuel in his first game, let alone in his first season. He doesn't have a lot of experience at corner but he has size and speed to develop into a nice piece.

The Eagles still have eight more selections to make tomorrow, when rounds 4-7 take place. I would look for them to pick up a linebacker and some more help along the offensive and defensive lines.

Here are the Eagles remaining picks:
Round 4, 104st overall
Round 4, 120th overall
Round 5, 149th overall
Round 5, 153rd overall
Round 6, 191st overall
Round 7, 227th overall
Round 7, 237th overall
Round 7, 240th overall