The Eagles FINALLY have taken a cornerback in the draft. At 123 overall, Philadelphia selected Texas Tech cornerback Zech McPhearson. He’s the second-straight defensive player taken by the Eagles in the draft.
McPhearson started out at Penn State back in 2017 as a redshirt freshman. After spending another year at PSU, McPhearson transferred to Texas Tech in 2019.
In 2020, McPhearson totaled four interceptions (he led Texas Tech in that category), 53 tackles, and two fumble recoveries.
What’s The Low-Down On McPhearson?
Here’s NFL.com’s Lance Zeirlein’s scouting report on McPhearson:
“Penn State transfer with two seasons as a starter at Texas Tech. McPhearson plays the position with good physicality in coverage, at the catch point and when it’s time to do his part in run support. His ball skills are on point and he does a good job of maintaining positioning once he’s there, but he has some issues anticipating route breaks and maintaining feel for the pattern from trail position in man coverage. He has decent play speed, but appears to lack the ups for jump-ball battles. He has the feet and competitiveness to potentially back up outside or inside and should compete for special teams reps early on.”
McPhearson also has experience playing special teams, as he has two block kicks and can also return punts.
What are some of the negatives here? McPhearson has issues with his consistency. Additionally, McPhearson still is in need of developing, which means he won’t be contributing frequently immediately. That’s always a downside with players taken in the mid-rounds.
In case you’re curious, below is McPhearson’s spider graph. A few of the players that McPhearson is comparable to are Xavier Coleman, Vernon Hargraves, and old friend Ronald Darby (via MockDraftable).
The Eagles’ next selection will be at 150 overall, in the fifth round.