LSU’s Jalen Mills may be the next big thing In Philly
The secondary, and more specifically the cornerback corps has long been the bane of the Philadelphia Eagles, much to the embarrassment of the fans, and the delight of rival teams. Nightmares of Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher getting beat time and time again, and of the slightly improved, if not still lackluster Byron Maxwell attempting to strip the ball instead of making a tackle, or allowing Tom Brady to casually pick up almost 40 yards after the catch on a trick play will haunt Eagles fans for a long time yet. And while the safety position looks like it might be able to finally get back to the fear and respect it held when Brian Dawkins and Michael Lewis roamed the field, the cornerback position still remains a huge question mark, a troubling concept when you consider that the Eagles face some of the leagues top receivers twice a year. The Eages will face Dez Bryant, DeSean Jackson, Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz, Jordan Reed, and now Josh Doctson twice a year. Not fun. The Eagles haven’t had an answer for these top tier receivers in recent years, and while Eric Rowe has brought a lot of hope in that area, he still has a lot of question marks. This year however, the Eagles may have a found a solution to their cornerback problem, and he came in the form of a seventh round pick.
When the Eagles selected Jalen Mills with the 233rd overall pick in this draft, he probably wasn’t on a lot of fans radars. But soon after he was selected, the news came out the similar to JaCorey Shepard, the Eagles could have landed another late round steal. Some even went so far as to claim Mills as a second round talent, and while this was a pretty big exaggeration (I gave him a 5th round grade), it was easy to see why fans were excited about Mills. The talent is there, and while injury and some off the field question marks caused Mills to fall, he may still be the answer to the Eagles question mark at corner. First off, Mills played against some very talented receivers and early draft picks during his college years. A list that includes Amari Cooper, Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins, and many more top tier receivers. Furthermore, Mills was a teammate of OBJ, and has plenty of experience against him (albeit not in a true game). Mills has not shied away from taking on these receivers, and is more than willing to take on any challenge thrown at him.
What’s more, Mills has impressed so far in OTA’s and minicamp, and may just even push for starting time in his rookie season. His loose hips, crisp footwork, and ability to locate the ball in the air give Mills an impressive skill set, and it never hurts to be 6’0”. He’s got good speed, and on the field shows off great instincts and plays with the maturity of a veteran. Obviously Mills isn’t a perfect player. But his experience, skill set, versatility, and toughness show off a player who could finally be the answer to the Eagles wide receiver problem. With great coaches in Jim Schwartz and Cory Undlin and good mentorship from players like Malcolm Jenkins and Leodis McKelvin, Jalen Mills combines the right skill set and the right situation to develop into one of the leagues next top cornerbacks.
Photo: arctic_whirlwind (via: Flickr)
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Categorized:Eagles