Thumbs up or down on the Eagles drafting Mac McWilliams? Our writers weigh in.

The Eagles selected Central Florida cornerback Mac McWilliams in the fifth round of the NFL draft, and he signed a contract Saturday. Here’s how our writers evaluate the pick:

I like the pick and the value of getting a cornerback with inside-outside versatility in the fifth round. On the third day, the Eagles should be looking for potential backups with starter upside and I think McWilliams qualifies. He fared better near the boundary than in the slot at both Alabama-Birmingham and Central Florida, but he projects more as the latter in the pros considering his compact 5-foot-10, 191-pound frame.

McWilliams will need work on his technique vs. slot receivers and in defending the run. But there’s a lot to work with considering his athleticism. He fared well during Senior Bowl week and didn’t back down vs. the top receivers in Mobile, Ala. His ball skills are questionable. He had only two interceptions in college, despite playing in 42 games.

McWilliams was a senior captain and apparently fared well in his interviews with the Eagles. If he can contribute on special teams as a rookie and develop into a serviceable reserve, the pick will be justified. If Cooper DeJean ends up moving outside, McWilliams could be the answer in the slot. He should get opportunities to do both, and may be a backup outside option down the road after the departures of Darius Slay, James Bradberry, and Avonte Maddox. He still has to prove he can do it. But in terms of the Eagles’ selection, it’s hard to argue with their thinking here.

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Cornerback was a pretty underrated position of need for the Eagles heading into the draft, so much so that when the team selected McWilliams, I was a little bit puzzled at first. Didn’t have the Eagles taking a cornerback within their first four picks, but it was the fifth round and the Eagles were actually a little top-heavy at the position. So it was easy to see why they would be looking to add to the room on draft weekend.

The back half of the depth chart at cornerback is pretty weak, and behind DeJean at nickel, there didn’t seem to be an obvious replacement. Perhaps that’s second-round pick Andrew Mukuba, who will begin in the safeties room. But for the sake of this exercise, McWilliams could find himself in that spot on the chart.

» READ MORE: Thumbs up or down on the Eagles drafting Andrew Mukuba? Our writers weigh in.

There are pros and cons with any pick, and it’s hard to tilt one way or the other here, hence the shrug. McWilliams can run and he can cover. But he’s a bit undersized and who knows how he’ll hold up against NFL players? A good result for the Eagles is McWilliams ends up being a pretty reliable special teams player who can be serviceable when called upon on defense. Picks this late in the draft tend to be toss-ups.

I see both the positives and the potential negatives of the McWilliams selection. From a need perspective, this pick makes sense. The Eagles are pretty thin at slot cornerback behind DeJean, as I had Adoree’ Jackson penciled in as a backup cornerback both on the outside and in the slot on the pre-draft depth chart. (Jackson is better suited for the outside and will likely compete with Kelee Ringo for the starting gig, too.)

There’s a lot to like about McWilliams’ traits that could bode well at the next level. The former high school track star boasts blazing speed on the football field, as evidenced by his 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the combine (which ranked eighth among cornerbacks). He doesn’t solely possess the straight-line speed needed to stick with receivers. He also has great short-area burst that allows him to trigger quickly in run support. A former receiver, McWilliams also has good hands — in 2022 at UAB, McWilliams posted a career-best 11 pass breakups and had a 78-yard interception return for a touchdown.

The two most glaring concerns surrounding McWilliams are his size and his injury history. At 5-10, 191 pounds, McWilliams is in the 21st percentile in height and 27th in weight among defensive backs. His arms and hands are greater outliers — his wingspan ranks in the ninth percentile (72⅝ inches), his arm length in the sixth (29⅞ inches), and his hand size in the fourth (8⅜ inches). How will that affect his ability to make plays on the ball at the next level or match up against bigger receivers (especially tight ends) in the slot?

McWilliams also has an injury history that caused him to miss time in three of his five college seasons. Time will tell if he can stay healthy and overcome his size deficiencies at the next level.

The Eagles’ recent history with their fifth-round picks suggests McWilliams should be on the initial 53-man roster, but it’s hard to imagine him carving out much of a role on anything other than special teams as a rookie. Still, that’s a fine outcome for a Day 3 pick, especially one like McWilliams whose athleticism and coverage skills could give him a chance to step into a role for the Eagles’ secondary down the road.

Even though McWilliams played outside for most of his college career and reportedly held up there at the Senior Bowl, he seems like a prime candidate to bump inside given his 5-10, 191-pound frame and sixth-percentile arm length. If he develops into a solid option, perhaps he could eventually facilitate DeJean playing more on the outside without as much of a drop-off in the slot. I’m probably getting ahead of myself quite a bit here, though.

The reality is the Eagles will have done well if McWilliams spends the next few seasons providing value on special teams and serving as a reliable backup. And, like most of their Day 3 selections, it’s difficult to quantify how likely that is before seeing McWilliams go through his paces in the NFL.