The Philadelphia Eagles traded away a fan-favorite earlier in the offseason. Could they replace him in the upcoming National Football League Draft?
Philadelphia traded CJ Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans after a six-interception season in part because of his price tag. The Eagles now have a clear need at safety and The Athletic's draft expert Nick Baumgardner predicted the team will use the No. 32 pick in the draft to select safety Malaki Starks out of Georgia.
"No. 32. Philadelphia Eagles: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia," Baumgardner said. "One of the smartest football players in this draft, Starks feels a lot like this year’s version of Brian Branch. He’s probably not fast enough to hold up as an outside corner, but he can play either safety spot or be a capable NFL nickel. He and Cooper DeJean together would be a lot of fun."
Starks currently is ranked as the No. 2 safety in this draft class by ESPN behind Nick Emmanwori out of South Carolina. It's a close race and there is an argument that Starks could be the top safety in the draft. If he's still around at No. 32, this would be a great pickup for the Eagles.
It's clear that Philadelphia's front office has an affinity for defensive players from the University of Georgia. Last year, the Eagles struck gold in the secondary by selecting Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean early. Could the same happen this year but now at the safety position?
