The Eagles ended the 2020 NFL Draft with 11 total players. Four wideouts, including the trade for Marquise Goodwin; two offensive lineman, two linebackers, one defensive end and one safety. Oh yeah, and a gadget quarterback in the second round.
You could even include the Darius Slay trade in there since Howie gave up some draft capital to snag him.
All in all, the Eagles came away with some solid prospects. But the one fans should be the most excited about, is Clemson safety K’Von Wallace. Touted as a second round talent by most draft evaluators, snagging him in the fourth round provides tremendous value and potentially a starter in the Eagles secondary for years to come.
Pro Football Focus labeled Wallace as the best tacking safety entering this year’s draft, as he never earned a PFF tackling grade lower than 80.3. He only missed six tackles on 83 attempts this past season.
Along with his superb tackling, PFF also gave Wallace a very high coverage grade. Since 2017, his grade in coverage is a stellar 92.1 according to PFF, the highest mark in that time span of any safety who entered the draft this year.
The impressive grades aside, he’s just a perfect fit in Jim Schwartz’s defense, and his unit desperately needed someone who can do everything that Wallace brings to the field. At Clemson, Wallace was used in a very similar role that Malcolm Jenkins played during his time in Philly.
Whether it’s attacking screen passes or tracking down the ball carrier in running plays, Wallace isn’t afraid to get physical — it’s where he thrives. And even though his interception numbers won’t lead you to believe he’s stout in the passing game, he’s frequently put himself in a good position when in coverage, he just needs to convert at a higher rate. He led the FBS in dropped interceptions over the past two seasons.
He spent time at both safety positions as well in the slot at Clemson, with the majority of his snaps coming in the slot, and that’s where he has the most upside in the NFL. His straight line speed isn’t overly impressive, but his quickness and explosiveness jumps off the screen at you when watching his film.
His 1.55 second 10-yard split, 6.76-second three-cone drill, 38-inch vertical and 11-foot-1 broad jump are all evidence of his explosive athleticism. This quickness really shines when he breaks on the football.
I know a lot of fans are already falling in love with Wallace for his interaction with the Philly faithful on social media and the swagger he’s shown on the field. It’s a popular opinion to have, but it’s for good reason.
Wallace is a beast and he should have a huge impact on Schwartz’s defense moving forward.
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