All you need to know about new Eagles CB Kary Vincent Jr.

Eagles
PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 22: Philadelphia Eagles helmet sits on a cart during the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagle on December 22, 2019, at Lincoln Financial Filed in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire)

It turns out the Eagles did make a trade before the 4PM deadline after all! Predictably, it wasn’t a blockbuster and there were no big names involved. The team did however acquire a rookie cornerback from the Denver Broncos in exchange for a sixth-round pick. Here’s all you need to know.

Kary Vincent Jr.

A seventh-round pick in this years’ NFL Draft, Vincent played his collegiate ball at LSU before being picked by the Broncos. He didn’t log a regular season snap during his time with Denver But did make the teams’ 53-man roster on the back of a pretty strong preseason where he batted down a pair of passes and notched 5 tackles in 3 games.

Standing at 5’10, Vincent is probably going to be locked to a slot role. The Eagles seem to have an affinity for nickel corners and athletic ones at that. KVJ is no exception. He raced to a 4.39 40-yard dash at the LSU pro day and is as nimble they come. He also has an impressive track record dating back to High School, where he was a two-time state champion in the 200m crash. This led to being named an All-American on LSU’s 4×100 relay team.

With great hip fluidity and and some impressive acceleration, KVJ has the traits to stay in phase and get physical at the catch point, which was evidenced by his time with the Tigers.

Vincent played bigger than his size at LSU, notching 4 picks and 8 PBU’s in 2019. He opted out of the 2020 campaign due to COVID-19 and declared for the 2021 Draft instead.

Where does he fit?

The obvious answer here is in the nickel. Avonte Maddox is having a great bounce back in the slot after being thrown to the wolves outside in 2020, but he is in a contract year. He may be playing himself above Philadelphia’s pay grade and the team may look for a cheaper longer term option after some instability in recent years.

KVJ might not take the field right away, but he’ll likely have an entire offseason to prove his worth, regardless of what the Eagles do at the position. We know Tay Gowan is a dark-horse candidate for a future CB2 role and KVJ will fill those boots for the nickel. It’s not like the Birds have given up much to get him and his ceiling is worth taking a punt on if the team believe he could one day develop into a starter.

Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire