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Eagles safety Marcus Epps makes an ESPN ranking of the NFL’s top-25 young prospects

Eagles safety Marcus Epps makes ESPN ranking of the NFL’s top 25 young prospects who could level up in 2021

Amid all the big names in the Eagles secondary, Marcus Epps is quietly going about his business of trying to secure a spot on the 53 man roster.

Epps is somewhat of an enigma, as he’s been unable to fully lock down a starting role in the NFL, but he was also the 13th best safety in the NFL last season according to Pro Football Focus.

Epps appeared in 14 games last season, starting five, while only logging 363 snaps in limited action.

ESPN and Football Outsiders recently looked at the top-25 young prospects around the NFL who are on the brink of taking that next step.

Epps made the list at No. 22 overall.

22. Marcus Epps, S, Philadelphia Eagles
Age: 25 | Drafted: 2019, pick 191 | 474 defensive snaps
There are two kinds of prospects that tend to hit the end of this list. There are the ones who have the pedigree but haven’t done much yet, and there are the ones without the pedigree who have been showing out whenever they get on the field. Epps is in the latter camp. Yet another Wyoming product, Epps got a priority free-agent grade from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. He was Mel Kiper’s 50th-ranked … safety. Epps ran a 4.55-second 40-yard dash at his pro day, showing off a nice 6.7-second three-cone drill time as well. He picked off nine balls in four seasons at Wyoming, adding 22 passes defensed and five forced fumbles. But at 6-foot-even and just 191 pounds, size was a major factor in forcing him out of the NFL’s upper rounds.

Drafted by the Vikings, Epps was claimed by the Eagles on waivers and used at free safety in December of 2019. Rodney McLeod was ahead of Epps on the depth chart last year, but after a torn ACL in December, Epps grabbed a major share of the snaps yet again by getting at least 56 percent of the snaps in each of Philadelphia’s last four games. Epps picked off two passes and defensed four more. And while we wouldn’t expect this to last at his size, Epps had the best run stop rate of any Eagles secondary player last year, at 64%.

The Eagles had themselves a Vikings import offseason on defense. They brought in former Vikings defensive backs coach Jonathan Gannon as defensive coordinator, and they added Anthony Harris to the safety equation on a one-year deal. Epps will be battling a 31-year-old McLeod and 2020 fourth-rounder K’Von Wallace for playing time, but he outplayed Wallace last year and has shown the ability to be a versatile middle-of-the-field defender. Don’t sleep on his chances of yet again bubbling up to the surface in 2021.

Last season Epps had 47 tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups.

Likely having to survive the fray of constantly rotating safeties, Epps will likely battle special team’s ace Andrew Adams for the fourth safety spot behind McLeod, Anthony Harris, and K’Von Wallace.

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Does Carson Wentz have to win a playoff game for the 2020 season to be considered a success?

ESPN says Carson Wentz must-win a playoff game for 2020 to be a success

Carson Wentz is quickly working his way up the Eagles all-time passing list and he should own every single-season and career franchise record when it’s all said and done.

Despite leading the Eagles to the playoffs and winning the NFC East, Wentz has more pressure on him than any quarterback currently in the NFL.

ESPN and their panel of Insiders recently broke down what constitutes a successful NFL season for the Birds and the Eagles winning a playoff game with Carson Wentz as the quarterback was deemed the measuring stick.

Philadelphia Eagles

A division title and a playoff win are what it will take for the Eagles to be considered a success in 2020.

The Eagles feel they have a much-improved roster from the one they fielded in a wild-card loss to the Seattle Seahawks in January. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson is healthy, Darius Slay was added to the secondary, they beefed up the defensive front with the Javon Hargrave signing, and spent much of their draft capital on speedy wide receivers, led by 2020 first-round pick Jalen Reagor. The Eagles hope continuity will carry them a long way as the rest of the division breaks in new coaching staff under the most unique of circumstances.

There are enough questions around the team to resist the most bullish of predictions: Is Andre Dillard ready to take over left tackle? Can they fill the voids left by safety Malcolm Jenkins and guard Brandon Brooks? Can they generate a steady pass rush off the edge?

Fending off the Cowboys to secure a third NFC title in four years would be another feather in the cap of coach Doug Pederson. But the season will not be a success unless quarterback Carson Wentz gets his first playoff victory. His postseason debut was cut short by a concussion last season, and he missed the playoffs the previous two years because of injury. He needs to finish the 2020 campaign on his own terms, and with at least one playoff win under his belt. — McManus

It’s not far-fetched to ask and Wentz simply making the playoffs and starting the ballgame won’t constitute a successful season division title or not. Carson Wentz is a top-5 quarterback in the NFL but his recent snub from the NFL’s Top-100 list proves he won’t get his full due of respect until he’s responsible for an Eagles playoff win or deep playoff run.

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Eagles land just outside the top-5 in a ESPN Future Power Rankings for all 32 teams for the next 3-years

Eagles are No. 6 in ESPN’s Future Power Rankings for all 32 NFL teams

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The Philadelphia Eagles have a young, athletic roster with one of the top-10 quarterbacks in all of the NFL leading the way and that’s cause for supreme optimism.

The ESPN Insiders recently projected which NFL franchises are in the best shape for the next three seasons using a panel of Jeremy Fowler, Louis Riddick, Seth Walder, and Field Yates — to rate each team’s quarterback, remaining (non-QB) roster, draft, front office and coaches using this scale:

100: A+ (Elite)

90: A (Great)

80: B (Very good)

70: C (Average)

60: D (Very bad)

50 and below: F (Disastrous)

After averaging the results from the panelists, each of the five categories was weighted to create the overall score — roster (30%), quarterback (20%), draft (15%), front office (15%) and coaching (20%). The result is a comprehensive ranking based on how well each team is positioned for the future.

After all the numbers crunching and simply using your eye test, the Philadelphia Eagles landed in a super favorable spot, at No. 6 on the list, behind the hated Dallas Cowboys who landed in the top-5.

6. Philadelphia Eagles
Overall score: 82.6

CATEGORY SCORE NFL
RANK
Overall roster (minus QB) 78.0 15
Quarterback 86.0 6
Coaching 89.3 6
Draft 75.5 15
Front office 85.5 5
Why they’re here: The Eagles feature a potential MVP candidate in Carson Wentz, who showed an ability to raise the talent around him 2019. Coach Doug Pederson is resourceful, innovative and confident, while GM/executive VP of football operations Howie Roseman has infused the roster with talent while maintaining his status as a salary cap wizard who can find ways to keep this roster intact going forward. — Yates

Biggest worry: The Eagles have upgraded the speed and skill level exceptionally well at the wide receiver position as compared to what they finished the season with last year. The question is whether they can now make it all work, on the field, where Wentz is as skilled a thrower as there is in the league. Chemistry is a big part of the game of football. They need to make it happen in Philly. — Riddick

Looking ahead: Jason Kelce is done after this year, Jason Peters is now a 38-year-old guard and Brandon Brooks is coming off an Achilles tendon tear. The interior offensive line needs reinforcements. And so does the linebacker spot. The Eagles have addressed the front and back ends of the defense, and a high-pedigree sideline-to-sideline player would complete the mission. — Fowler

Top stat to know: Among QBs currently under 30, Wentz has recorded the third-best QBR season: his 2017, when he posted a 78.5. He has shown the upside, and — performance wise — is fairly reliable looking forward. If I had to bet on the current quarterbacks most likely to be above average in five years, Wentz is no lower than sixth (behind Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson and Dak Prescott). That kind of certainty is worth a lot. — Walder

The Eagles will need their young infusion of wide receiver talent to blend with the returning DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery and JJ Arcega-Whiteside on offense, while the addition of Darius Slay, Javon Hargrave, and Nickell Robey-Coleman should present the Eagles with some attitude and swagger that’s been missing at the Linc for years now.

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Eagles’ Carson Wentz lands in the top-10 of a re-draft of 32 NFL quarterbacks

Philadelphia Eagles star Carson Wentz is No. 7 in a re-draft of all 32 NFL quarterbacks

The NFL is a quarterback-driven league and about 17 to 22 teams would gladly give up their signal-caller for the chance to land an elite guy at the position.

ESPN and their NFL Nation reporters re-drafted all 32 franchise quarterbacks around the league under the assumption that they were released from their contracts and re-drafted to new teams.

The list isn’t a clear ranking for all the teams but based on where Carson Wentz landed in the re-draft, the Eagles star isn’t receiving the Rodney Dangerfield treatment, as there was some respect put on his name.

Even though he landed behind Dak Prescott, Wentz still went high in the list, landing at No. 7.

7. Carson Wentz
Selected No. 11 overall in the NFL re-draft by Rich Cimini to the Jets

We already know the ceiling for Wentz, as he flexed it back during the 2017 season. He can be the MVP of the NFL (he likely would have been if not for a December ACL tear that season). Wentz’s accuracy, ability to keep plays alive and creativity inside the pocket are all exceptional. He’s a player who has shown himself capable of raising the level of play of others around him. There’s just one question, which is durability: While the Eagles have been to the playoffs for three straight years, Wentz has not been on the field at the end of any of their final playoff games within those seasons.

There are no questions about Wentz’s status around the league or where he ranks alongside his peers. The Eagles franchise quarterback simply needs to stay healthy and he’ll silence all of the critics this season.

Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson came off the board No. 1 and No. 2 while Philip Rivers was the final quarterback selected out of the group.

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Darius Slay to the Eagles named the 5th-biggest position upgrade of the NFL offseason

The Philadelphia Eagles landed the prize of the NFL offseason, spurning the opportunity to throw huge money at Byron Jones and instead choosing to trade picks to the Detroit Lions for Darius Slay.

Tired of watching opposing quarterbacks and wide receivers connect for deep balls and huge gains, Howie Roseman landed Jim Schwartz a guy capable of shutting down an opposing team’s number one guy.

Slay leads NFL in passes broken up since 2015 and is one of just 2 cornerbacks named to 3 straight Pro Bowls (Jalen Ramsey).

In an ESPN.com ranking of position upgrades around the NFL, Slay replacing Ronald Darby was named the fifth-biggest position upgrade.

5. Philadelphia Eagles, CB
Darius Slay replaces Ronald Darby
Darby’s 2019 stat line: 37 tackles, 2 INTs
Slay’s 2020 projection: 53 tackles, 2 INTs

The Eagles traded for Slay following seven consecutive seasons of finishing ninth or worse in yardage allowed to opposing wide receivers. Philadelphia has allowed the most targets, receptions and yardage to the position during the span, and it’s not close. Meanwhile, Slay quickly emerged as one of the league’s premier shadow corners after being selected in the second round of the 2013 draft. He has at least a pair of interceptions and 13-plus passes defensed each of the past six seasons. In fact, Slay’s 99 passes defensed since 2014 are easily most in the NFL. He joins fellow newcomer and slot man Nickell Robey-Coleman in Philadelphia’s overhauled secondary.

Adding Slay to the roster finally gives the Eagles the shutdown caliber cornerback that they’ve lacked for years.

Drafted by then Lions-head coach Jim Schwartz back in 2013, Slay has rounded into one of the best shutdown corners in the NFL and the Eagles finally have a guy who can win one on one battles with the best.

Slay allowed only three touchdowns on 93 targets last season, according to Pro Football Reference, and should allow Schwartz and the defensive coaching staff to put the rest of the secondary in positions to be successful in matchups going forward.

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