JaCorey Shepherd to Philadelphia Eagles: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

Heading into the final day of the 2015 NFL draft, the Philadelphia Eagles possessed four picks: one in the fourth round, two in the sixth round and one in the seventh round. They originally had two picks in the fifth round, but they gave both up to move up in the second round for defensive back Eric Rowe. 

After trading out of their fourth-round pick for an extra third-round selection in 2016, the Eagles were faced with either improving their offensive line depth or grabbing an additional defensive back. They chose the secondary, selecting Kansas cornerback JaCorey Shepherd, who had been the best player available on Mel Kiper's big board during the broadcast. 

NFL draft analyst Mike Mayock had a fourth-round grade on Shepherd. Kansas City Star columnist Rustin Dodd called him the "highest of high-character guys." In fact, Shepherd was well-known at Kansas University for his contributions to the community. 

At 5'11" and 199 pounds, Shepherd likely won't ever be a major contributor on the outside. The Eagles like their cornerbacks to be taller, but Shepherd feels like a candidate to one day compete for a spot in the slot.

He also ran just a 4.65 in the 40-yard dash. He's a candidate to move to safety, as the Eagles already have Byron Maxwell, Nolan Carroll, Brandon Boykin, Walter Thurmond and Jaylen Watkins at cornerback. Ignore Shepherd's lack of speed, though, and he has the talent to be a successful cornerback. 

"

No CB in the #NFLDraft2015 has more spectacular highlights than JaCorey Shepherd of @KU_Football. One jaw-dropping play after another

— Dave Archibald (@davearchie) April 27, 2015"

Shepherd, who began his college career as a wide receiver before switching to cornerback, collected 90 tackles, five interceptions and a sack during three years on the defensive side of the ball. He also broke up 30 passes. In his final two years at Kansas, he served as the team's primary kick returner. He told The Kansas City Star, as paraphrased by Dodd, that "he believes a hamstring injury caused him to slip to Philly in the sixth." 

"

Allowed just 38.6 Completion percentage on passes thrown his way. Major talent https://t.co/gMQ6A548Bc

— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) May 2, 2015"

Predicting Shepherd's role on the 2015 Eagles is impossible at this point. It depends on whether the Eagles value him as a cornerback or a safety, and whichever position the Eagles choose to play Shepherd could easily depend on where they plan to play second-round pick Eric Rowe. 

"

My non biased steal of the draft? JaCorey Shepherd CB @ Kansas. 2 years of film on him and not once did anyone complete a deep ball on him.

— Clint Trickett (@CJTrickett9) May 2, 2015"

But the emphasis Chip Kelly is placing on the defensive backfield is a relief. After the Eagles allowed 30 passing touchdowns in 2014 and were repeatedly torched by opposing quarterbacks ranging in talent from Aaron Rodgers to Zach Mettenberger, changes clearly needed to be made. 

This offseason alone, the Eagles have added top free-agent cornerback Byron Maxwell, slot cornerback/potential starter Walter Thurmond and versatile second-round pick Eric Rowe to go with Shepherd, the team's sixth-round pick.