Defend the pick: ESPN’s Todd McShay has the Eagles taking Temple CB Rock Ya-Sin in his latest mock draft
6 March 2019 Uncategorized
Mock draft season is in full swing and now with the combine over and done with, everyone has a good feel for all the players now. With free agency beginning next week, mock drafters will really start to key in on where the team is heading in this years’ draft after they see what their roster looks like after free agency. For one of the best NFL draft guys, Todd McShay, he just released his third mock draft today.
In his mock draft, he has the Eagles taking Temple cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. His reasoning is below.
“We all know the Eagles want to fix the secondary, and while the Philly faithful might be clamoring for Greedy Williams here, I like Ya-Sin’s full skill toolbox. He impressed me at the combine and deserves first-round consideration.”
Ya-Sin had a great combine and is an example of someone who really used it to his advantage. Still sort of new to football, Ya-Sin has a lot of room to still develop as a player. Here’s an overview of him from NFL.com.
“Body-beautiful cornerback with good size and potential, but just one year of FBS football experience. Ya-Sin needs technique work across the board, but the ability to handle the duties of the position are all in place and waiting to be unlocked. He has the strength, toughness and feet to go from shadowing presence to a more disruptive one as a press-man corner. His lack of technique allows for some pitch-and-catch moments in coverage, but he has moldable traits to become a future starter with more experience and coaching.”
Seeing this, we can’t help but ask ourselves, is this the direction the Eagles will go? The Eagles are in a position to ideally take the best player on their board. Yes, they can use a cornerback, however, they can also use a linebacker, wide receiver, defensive tackle, safety, running back, defensive end and not to mention, offensive linemen. Now, when they are on the clock, it comes down to where they see the most value and for the most part, the Eagles have always found themselves waiting on cornerbacks. With two second-round picks, they can easily find a starter or key contributor in the next round. With the late emergence of some of the younger guys last season, cornerback is not as big as a need as a defensive tackle and even safety.
You need to look at this team and envision where you’ll see a first round pick making the most impact. With Jalen Mills, Rasul Douglas, Avonte Maddox, hopefully, Cre’Von LeBlanc and co., there’s room for improvement but does it warrant a first round pick. Not extending defensive tackle Tim Jernigan sort of sends a message that the Eagles are looking at that position early in the draft. Really, for the most part, with the Eagles needs being so specific, there is not too much they can get wrong here. If they do draft a cornerback, it is only going to help their situation. If they go elsewhere, it is only going to better the team.
Photo Credit: Temple.com