2021 NFL Mock Draft: Trevor Lawrence tank pays off for Jaguars, Trey Lance to Raiders

Coming out of the 2019 season, there were two areas where the Philadelphia Eagles desperately needed help, in the secondary and at wide receiver. And throughout the offseason, they were able to make moves in both areas to help those position groups. At wide receiver, they took Jalen Reagor in the first round of the 2020 draft. At cornerback, they pulled off a trade for Darius Slay.

However, one of the curiosities of the Eagles’ 2020 draft, Jalen Hurts pick aside, was that they chose not to really double-down heavily at either wide receiver or cornerback, particularly the latter. For as good as Slay is, the rest of the Philadelphia defensive back group still has question marks. That’s why the position is their first-round target for this 2021 mock draft.

Paulson Adebo was another in a long list of surprising returns to school. The Stanford product was projected by many to be one of the top cornerbacks in the 2020 class had he chosen to forego his final year with the Cardinal. Yet, he’s back for another year and could help his stock by cleaning up some issues from 2019 that he didn’t show the year prior — and staying healthy.

Even still, Adebo has shown his coverage and ball skills are top-notch as he has eight interceptions and 27 pass defenses over his 22 games with Stanford thus far. If he can work further on his hand technique and prove his foot speed when healthy, he should be a first-round lock in 2021 and a player that would give the Eagles a dynamic cornerback duo when paired with Slay.