In the modern NBA, positionless basketball is all the rage. Regardless of size, teams put the best five players on the court.

If you look around the current landscape of NFL secondaries, you’ll notice this trend taking place.

As NFL offenses have evolved to rely on creating space, heavy utilization of condensed sets, pre-snap motion, and the explosive vertical passing game, defenses have had to evolve as well.

Look no further than the man the Eagles have attempted to emulate over the last handful of years and current Eagles defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio.

Fangio’s defenses are known for a few trademark elements.

• • Two High Shells

• • Light Boxes

• • Shifts from Pre to Post-Snap

Defensive backs move both before and after the snap. They roll to different coverages. They disguise. They bluff. They creep. They crash. In short, they do a ton of everything.

On Day 2 of the draft, the Eagles moved up to secure the services of a player who 1) likely shouldn’t have been available and 2) may very well be the most Vic Fangio defensive back ever. Cooper DeJean.

The Eagles traded the 50th, 53rd, and 161st picks to the Washington Commanders to move up to No. 40 to select DeJean.

They also acquired the 78th and 152nd picks from Washington.

The former Iowa Hawkeye is versatility personified. So much so that his versatility may have caused him to slip to the second round.

NFL franchises place a huge emphasis on positional value, and for DeJean, a player who doesn’t necessarily have a set home in an NFL defense just yet, it might’ve raised some red flags for teams.

Not for Philadelphia, though.

With the defensive system that they will implore under Fangio, DeJean’s versatility is welcome.

He can play outside. He can play in the slot. He can play over the top at either safety spot. He can come down into the box at times. DeJean can even return punts.

DeJean is an intelligent defensive back. He plays with great awareness and understanding of spacing. He understands leverage and route concepts. He’s adept at reading the eyes of quarterbacks and making plays on the football.

In zone coverage, his spatial awareness, eye discipline, and ability to understand leverage shine. In man coverage, while he doesn’t have the best long speed, if he can keep everything in front of him, he can use all the traits mentioned above, along with sneaky physicality, to be very effective.

All of these are traits that make the selection of DeJean extremely intriguing for the Eagles.

Taking a look at the Eagles current make-up of their secondary, the possibilities are tantalizing.

• • Darius Slay
  • James Bradberry (for now)
  • Quinyon Mitchell
  • Avonte Maddox
  • Cooper DeJean
  • C.J. Gardner-Johnson
  • Reed Blankenship
  • Sydney Brown
  • Isaiah Rodgers
  • Kelee Ringo
  • Eli Ricks
  • Josh Jobe
  • Tyler Scott
  • Mario Goodrich
  • Zech McPhearson
  • Mekhi Garner
  • Tiawan Mullen
  • Tristian McCollum

Of course, all of these players won’t make the final 53-man roster, but when there are as many versatile pieces as they have, the potential for the unit is extremely promising.

They can truly be a matchup-based defense and with the level of importance that Vic Fangio places on versatility from his defensive backs and presenting a bevy of looks to opposing offenses, DeJean raises the ceiling for what the unit can be.

Cover Image Credit: Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images