2019 NFL Draft: Implications of Kyler Murray going No. 1 overall
54. . S/CB. Florida. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. 25. player
Florida’s Chauncey Gardner-Johnson has quietly moved up draft boards over the last month, and now is very much in consideration to be the top safety off the board. If the Eagles are the first team to draft a safety, then I imagine Gardner-Johnson would be the guy they would target over the others.
Philadelphia would value his versatility to play slot corner or safety, potentially viewing him as an eventual replacement for Malcolm Jenkins, who will turn 32 during the 2019 season. The Florida product is a fit in a variety of schemes, and would seem to be a glove-like fit in the Eagles’s secondary.
Gardner-Johnson has similarities with former Alabama and current Dolphins defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick was one of the draft’s most coveted prospects last year, and while Gardner-Johnson might not have that upside, but he’s a similar player who the Eagles would be able to deploy in multiple ways.
The Eagles still could consider Alabama’s Josh Jacobs, but after the Howard trade I’m not sure they could rationalize then using a first round pick on a running back this year, as talented as Jacobs is.
Adding depth on both lines is something the Eagles will look at as well, so if Gardner-Johnson doesn’t enamor them enough, they could look at Clemson’s Christian Wilkins or versatile Kansas State offensive lineman Dalton Risner instead.