Eye of the Tiger: Why K’Von Wallace Has Potential to Be the Next Eagles Great Safety
Let’s play a game, I’ll give you a few hints and you guess the player…
This player is a safety out of Clemson, who was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, and is best known for the multitude of ways he is used along the defense.
Well sorry to burst your bubble, because as much as I would love to reminisce on the greatness of the one and only Brian Dawkins, history has recently repeated itself in a sense. This is because with the 127th pick; in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft, the Philadelphia Eagles selected K’Von Wallace.
Though it must be mentioned how Dawkins has served as a mentor of sorts to Wallace Wallace has a good relationship with Dawkins, aside from attending the same university, Wallace was roommates with Dawkins’ son, Brian Dawkins Jr.
“They’re more than family to us, my mom knows his mom very well. They communicate here and there. We [Brian Dawkins] never really talk much football, we talk about life. We talk about our spiritual selves because he’s a man of God first. He always wants his son and I to be heavy on the word and to be driven spiritually because that’s where your passion comes from. Football will always take care of itself when you got the right things in place.”
Despite being a rookie, Wallace already has large shoes to fill. With the departure of Malcolm Jenkins and a resume similar to Dawkins entering the league the pressure is on. Though Wallace seems to be ready and willing to prove himself to be up to the challenge. Willing seems to be the big word when discussing Wallace as Dawkins himself commented on the selection of Wallace via twitter.
“Philly, Do me a solid and let [K’Von Wallace] strive to be the best version of K’Von he can be. He’s shown himself willing & able to listen, learn, & grow. Earning the right to be a trusted leader [Clemson Tigers] and in his family, with his faith, work ethic, & passion! #FlyEaglesFly #BBTB.”
Even former Eagles cornerback and current Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent, whom Wallace initially met while he was a Football Operations Intern for the NFL back in May of 2019, sounded excited about the prospects of Wallace’s ability to become a “special player” in Philadelphia.
“I think it starts with the heart first. You know everything else is external, you can turn that on and you can turn that off. But you’re going to be measured by, I believe K’Von has what it takes, the fabric of what it takes to be successful in Philly. Because if you can’t take constructive criticism if you can’t go to the mic after a loss and explain to your teammates and the fan base that you didn’t play well and take those responsibilities. If you can’t do that you have a short lived tenure in the city of Philadelphia. It’s a blue collar town and they expect no excuses. K’Von is cut from that cloth.”
While the votes of approval are a step in the right direction in terms how the outlook of the fan base sees him. At some point Wallace will have to earn his stripes on the football field, just like he always has. Sure his rise to stardom at Clemson is where you might know him from, after the 56 games played, 36 games started, and more than 1,000 snaps of football. But the Eagles had the opportunity to get to know K’Von Wallace the person. The product of Richmond, Virginia often raves about his mother and would be the first to tell you how she helped install the work ethic Wallace has today.
“She always installed hard work into me, and she’s always kept me safe, out of harms way, and with the help of God, she did it all by herself.”
As for K’Von Wallace the competitor, Philadelphia is getting a young man that should fit right into the hard-nose, blue collar roots of the city.
“I’m a guy that’s hungry, I’m a guy that’s a competitor, that’s going to compete. I’m going to fight you until I get what I want. That’s just the type of guy I am.”
Sounds like a man who’s right at home. As a junior Wallace exploded on to the scene with 52 tackles, an interception, two forced fumbles, and three pass deflections. However as a senior is where Wallace really started to take the next step finishing the season with 72 tackles, 2 interceptions, and a team leading 10 pass deflections.
Photo: John Clark/NBC Sports
As a prospect Wallace was used as a Swiss Army Knife for the Clemson defense. He entered the draft as the best tackler in the class with a 7.9 missed tackle percent, as well as the best coverage safety according to Pro Football Focus with a 92.1 grade. He has shown an ability to operate from the nickel or as the deep half safety, while Clemson even deployed him as an extra blitzer.
Wallace will see his most common success as a sub-package player in the NFL, but his understanding of shallow zone coverages, as well as his aggressiveness, will make it hard not to put him on the field.
A scrappy player, willing to get involved with anyone, however, due to his smaller frame, bigger wide receivers tend to bully him.
He will make an impact on special teams while waiting for his opportunity.
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