Eagles draft: With C.J. Gardner-Johnson gone, will the Birds add another safety to their defense?

With C.J. Gardner-Johnson being traded to the Houston Texans last month, the Eagles have a hole alongside Reed Blankenship at safety. Sydney Brown, the 2023 third-round pick, is one of the in-house replacements, but the position overall is lacking high-end talent as the NFL draft approaches.

This year’s safety class is diverse in skill set, size, and potential NFL roles, all good signs for the Eagles, who likely will draft one to upgrade a big area of need.

Here’s a look at the safety class and which players best fit the Eagles’ needs on the back end of their defense:

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At 6-foot-1, 197 pounds, Starks finished his career with six interceptions and 23 passes defended. He is a three-level playmaker, providing run support and playing as a single-high safety in Georgia’s secondary. On tape, Starks has the intelligence to diagnose plays pre-snap and the sideline-to-sideline speed to close on routes over the middle of the field and deep downfield.

Although his tackling in space was inconsistent and he gave up more big plays downfield this past season than in previous years, Starks can play multiple spots in a secondary and has elite instincts and ball skills to succeed on intermediate and deep routes. He would represent an immediate upgrade for the Eagles’ secondary.

One of the NFL scouting combine winners, Emmanwori, at 6-3, 220, ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash and had a 43-inch vertical leap and an 11-foot, 6-inch broad jump, making him a rare athlete at his size. He had major production in his final season at South Carolina, with four interceptions (two returned for touchdowns), three tackles for loss, and two pass breakups.

Even with his production, Emmanwori isn’t as physical as some other safeties on this list and needs to improve his coverage awareness, especially in the middle of the field. Still, his upside is immense and he has a chance to be a tight end eraser at the NFL level.

Sanker (6-0, 206 pounds), who started for three seasons at Virginia, is compactly built and thrives in middle-of-the-field coverage. Over the last two seasons, Sanker has one interception and 15 pass breakups. He provides run support from his safety spot and has elite closing speed.

He tested well athletically at the combine (4.48-second 40, 36.5-inch vertical, 10-8 broad jump), but he struggles to get his head turned around in coverage downfield. Sanker is at his best working near and within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage as a robber defender, taking away passes over the middle of the field.

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Reed (6-0, 211 pounds) was a two-year starter for the Nittany Lions. He is a physical, downhill playmaker and excels as a run defender and defending the middle of the field in a robber role.

While his tackling needs to be more consistent (14.3% missed tackle rate, according to Pro Football Focus), Reed is a good athlete (4.49-second 40, 33.5-inch vertical) who projects best as a player near the line of scrimmage. Reed has a predraft visit scheduled with the Eagles.

No one took the ball away more than the 6-foot, 204-pound Watts, who has 13 interceptions over the last two seasons. He has excellent instincts, can run the alley in run fits, and can handle half-field responsibilities in coverage, particularly in single-high safety situations.

The two-time All-American would be an ideal fit opposite Blankenship in the Eagles’ secondary with his ball skills and acumen in coverage, although he’s got agility and tackling concerns. Still, he’s a Day 2 safety who can defend half the field.

After playing three seasons at Clemson as a safety and nickel hybrid, Mukuba primarily played safety for Texas this past season and produced in a big way with 69 tackles (four for loss), five interceptions, and one forced fumble in 15 games. He particularly thrived on plays in which he dropped back from near the line of scrimmage to the deep third of the field to get his hands on passes thrown over the middle.

Mukuba is small (5-11, 186), but he packs a punch behind his pads and protects a lot of ground in coverage while having the versatility to patrol the middle of the field along with deep shots. He had a formal meeting with the Eagles at the combine and projects best as a middle-of-the-field safety.

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Another player with plenty of ball production over the last two years, Bowman is a smaller safety (5-10, 192), but had eight interceptions, 5½ tackles for loss, and seven passes defended over the last two years. Bowman is physical, flies downhill as a run defender, and has nice instincts in zone coverage. He thrives tackling in space and has the versatility to play safety and nickel. According to PFF, Bowman spent about a third of his snaps at nickel.

His game is reminiscent of Jalen Pitre, who now plays for the Texans. Bowman needs to improve his tackling (23.1% missed tackle rate, according to PFF) but he’s got a chance to be an impact player at safety or nickel. He’s a projected early Day 3 pick.

The most interesting prospect in this year’s class is Winston, who missed all but three games in 2024 with a partially torn ACL suffered in practice. In 2023, Winston splashed on the scene at Penn State with 61 tackles (2½ for loss), one interception, and five pass breakups. At 6-1, 215 pounds, he has good explosiveness and reactionary instincts, flying downhill as a run defender and taking away routes in the flat.

Although he didn’t get to play much over-the-top coverage at Penn State, there’s reason to believe with his profile that he can do it. He will be most valuable near the line of scrimmage, but his length and athleticism will be utilized by defensive coordinators to alter passing lanes in the middle of the field.

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The son of former New York Jets cornerback Ray Mickens is one of the best-kept secrets in this class because he’s an older prospect — he turns 24 in July. R.J. Mickens had 75 tackles and two interceptions in 2024 and has the skill set to cover the deep third of the field and play the robber role over the middle.

A reliable tackler on the perimeter and in the secondary, Mickens can stand to be more physical in man coverage and be smoother in his coverage transitions. Still, he is an instinctual player with plenty of experience and fits best in a zone coverage-heavy scheme.