Adrian Amos Should Be Philadelphia Eagles' Top Target on Day 3 of 2015 NFL Draft

Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles will enter the final day of the 2015 NFL draft with four draft picks—a fourth-rounder, two sixth-rounders and a seventh-round selection. While it may be tempting to take a flier on an intriguing quarterback prospect like Brett Hundley or Bryce Petty, Penn State safety Adrian Amos should be the team’s top target.

If Kelly is able to acquire Amos, he’ll have managed to overhaul three-quarters of a secondary that ranked 31st a year ago in passing yards allowed. Cornerback Byron Maxwell was the prize of free agency, and the $63 million deal the Eagles gave him suggests they believe he can be a Pro Bowl player for many years.

Second-round draft choice Eric Rowe will likely start at corner opposite Maxwell as a rookie, although he does have the athleticism to play safety as well. Malcolm Jenkins is locked into the starting free safety role, which means there’s a logjam of players who could be fighting for the strong safety position.

Amos wouldn’t be handed the job by any means, but the fact that he would be a fourth-round selection should put him right in the mix to be a starter. Amos is 6’0”, 218 pounds, ran a ridiculous 4.37 40-yard dash at his pro day and posted an impressive 21 reps on the bench press.

Amos started 37 games in his Penn State career, playing as a safety but also contributing as a cornerback in sub-packages. The Eagles love that versatility in their safeties, which is why they drafted Rowe in the second round and signed Jenkins as a free agent last offseason.

Per Bleeding Green Nation, Amos is one of the players the Eagles organization has expressed the most interest in; they’ve met with him at least four times, including a visit and attending his pro day.

Amos would have to win a camp competition to be the starter next to Jenkins, and there’s quite a logjam of players he’ll have to beat out. As of now, likely candidates include Earl Wolff, Jaylen Watkins and Ed Reynolds. Wolff was a 2013 fifth-round pick who spent most of last season on injured reserve, and he’s no lock even to make next year’s roster.

Meanwhile, Watkins and Reynolds were vastly underwhelming as rookies. Watkins was drafted in the fourth round as a corner with the potential to play safety too, but he ended up seeing action in just 31 defensive snaps. Reynolds, a fifth-round pick, missed the OTAs due to Stanford’s late graduation and never caught up. He spent the season on the team’s practice squad.

Theoretically, Chris Maragos and Chris Prosinski could be in the mix, but they’re more of special teams players, and free-agent pickup Jerome Couplin III is expected to be a depth player.

It’s been a rough go at the safety position since the Eagles let future Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins walk and then All-Pro strong safety Quintin Mikell. Veterans like Kenny Phillips, Patrick Chung and Marlin Jackson haven’t nailed down the job. There have been failed draft picks like Macho Harris and Kurt Coleman, and there have been players like Nate Allen who held their own but never lived up to the hype as second-round picks.

For a franchise that’s desperate for a long-term starter at safety, Amos has impressive physical tools and would be given every chance to win a job in 2015 and beyond.