2011 NFL Draft: Philadelphia Eagles Looking for the Next Brian Dawkins

In 1996, the Philadelphia Eagles struck gold with a second round draft pick used on Clemson free safety Brian Dawkins.

All Dawkins did in his 13 seasons in Eagles green was become a Hall of Fame caliber player as one of the best safeties in the NFL. Since Dawkins moved on to the Denver Broncos two seasons ago, the Eagles secondary has been searching for leadership and stability in the defensive backfield.

The bad news heading in to the 2011 NFL Draft is that the safety position is not one receiving high remarks for its depth.

Two players have been praised as the best of the best among players playing in the secondary, but both are corner backs and neither figure to be on the board when the Eagles draft with the 23rd overall pick. LSU's Patrick Peterson and Nebraska's Prince Amukamara are hands down the top two at their position.

Unless Amukamara finds a way to fall that far in the draft (no chance Peterson is available that late), don't expect the Eagles to use a first round draft pick to improve the secondary.

Instead, look at the second round, where there should still be some decent talent to choose from.

Maybe Clemson will produce another solid prospect for Philadelphia. The Tigers have two prospects worth discussing. DeAndre McDaniel, a 6' 1" and 210 pound strong safety is about as close to a Dawkins mold as you can get.

Not only does he love making contact, but he also reacts to the ball very well. He doesn't have the greatest speed for the position, but his ball awareness and instincts can help make up for that.

One of the problems Eagles defenders have had in recent years is the ability to wrap up a ball carrier, especially in the open field. With McDaniel, that is not a concern as he can track down a ball carrier and find a way to not let go until a knee is down.

McDaniel will of course need to work on some mechanics before he can start to be likened to a younger Dawkins, but with some work done in training camp he should get caught up to speed on fundamentals such as back-peddling, which is one of his more noted flaws.

McDaniel may not be the only Clemson safety on the radar either. Marcus Gilchrist also hopes to follow in the footsteps of Dawkins, although Gilchrist lacks the physicality that Dawkins and McDaniel take great pride in.

The Eagles have a solid history of drafting at the safety position, so whoever the team may pick up via the draft will have a high bar to meet in terms of franchise reputation.

In addition to Dawkins, the Eagles have drafted Wes Hopkins (1983) and Michael Lewis (2002). Each made trips to the Pro Bowl and was drafted in the second round.

Is it a coincidence, or a pattern?

Kevin McGuire is the national college football writer for Examiner.com. Follow his college football discussion on Twitter  @CFBExaminer.