NFL Draft Day 2 Preview: Eagles Need to Focus on Positions of Need

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

Day 1 of the NFL Draft brought the Eagles a new defensive player, lineman Derek Barnett. Day 2 will bring two more players into the fold, as the Eagles hold the 43rd overall selection in the second round and the 99th overall pick in the third round.

So with a defensive lineman in place to bolster the pass rush, what do the Eagles do on Day 2? What they should do now is focus on positions of greater need than the pass rush.

It's hard to judge a draft pick on the night he is drafted. You can call it a reach, you can call it a steal, but you really don't know much of anything until that player plays a down of football in the NFL. So the pick of Derek Barnett may not have been the sexiest for the Eagles and the fans who were hoping for a cornerback or for a first-round quality wide receiver or running back to be selected.

That said, the last two days of the weekend become a challenge of bridging the gap between simply looking at the best players on your board and finding players who may have a chance to fill a need within the team. The two most glaring needs for the Eagles now is at cornerback and running back.

Those should be the two areas of focus early on Friday.

At running back, there really are no surprises outside of Florida State back Dalvin Cook still being available. Cook won't last long on Day 2, but if he somehow manages to slip beyond the 40th overall pick, you have to consider going for it. Much-maligned running back Joe Mixon is also still on the board, as is Tennessee teammate of Derek Barnett, running back Alvin Kamara.

If the Eagles decide that waiting until the third round is the better option at running back, names like D'Onta Foreman, James Conner and Marlon Mack could appeal.

At cornerback, the best name available is Washington's Kevin King. It took until the 11th overall pick for a cornerback to be selected in the first round, but then four others quickly followed. While there were no real major surprises for who didn't go in the first round, there are some names that are going to be there at 43 that won't last to 99 when the Eagles next pick. Players like Sidney Jones, Quincy Wilson, Rasul Douglas and Chidobe Awuzie are all still on the board and would be quality picks that could see the field instantly.

And obviously, don't rule out the Eagles going to positions of somewhat lesser need. The possibility that they take a wide receiver is still there. So is the possibility of selecting a linebacker. 

It should be an interesting Day 2. The Eagles started the draft by selecting what they hope will become a defensive mainstay on the line and in the pass rush. Now they need to give Carson Wentz another weapon and bolster the secondary on Day 2.

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