The 2016 NFL Draft class remains one of the most mixed bags of player selections over the past decade.

The top of the class featured quarterbacks Jared Goff and Carson Wentz going #1 and #2, respectively, while players like Dak Prescott, Derrick Henry, Michael Thomas, and Tyreek Hill went in the 2nd round or later.

Thirty players selected eventually became Pro Bowlers, with six coming from the secondary: Kevin Byard, Keanu Neal, Justin Simmons, Xavien Howard, James Bradberry, and Jalen Ramsey.

Jalen Ramsey, the #5 pick out of Florida State, quickly solidified himself as a shutdown corner in the league for the Jaguars. Renown as a Top 5 cornerback in the NFL, Ramsey’s accolades speak for themselves, winning last year’s Super Bowl while being named a 3x All-Pro and 5x Pro-Bowler.

James Bradberry, an under-the-radar prospect from Samford, went 62nd with the second to last pick of the 2nd round by the Carolina Panthers. Bradberry remained under the radar for most of his early career, only making the Pro Bowl with the Giants in 2020.

The discrepancy most likely comes from Jalen Ramsey’s teams’ success, playing in nine playoff games to Bradberry’s one game. However, if you take out playoff games, James Bradberry and Jalen Ramsey have almost identical numbers since entering the league in 2016.

Both cornerbacks played most of their coverage snaps in a zone, but we’ll start with the man comparison.

FI- forced incompletions
DRI- dropped interceptions

Most teams’ defensive schemes today involve a base nickel defense (three cornerbacks on the field) in mostly zone coverage. It’s in this position where James Bradberry and Jalen Ramsey thrive.

The great thing about sports is that it’s not played on paper or prescribed perfectly to a player’s stats. Where Jalen Ramsey stands head and shoulders above James Bradberry is with his press-man coverage. Ramsey has been a premier press corner for almost six years, while Bradberry has been burnt in that coverage too many times.

Last season, Jonathan Gannon tried to mix up his coverage to confuse offenses too much, leading to inconsistencies in the passing game. In the graph below (you will have to zoom in), Gannon went heavy with Cover 2,3 and 4 zones through Weeks 2-3, then switched to a Cover 2 or Cover 1 man scheme in Weeks 4 and 5.

Weeks 6 through 8, the Eagles went extremely heavy with Cover 3 zone, allowing 280 passing yards per game in that span with a high of 323 from TB12 on Thursday Night Football. The Eagles’ last game playing majority Cover 3 came in Week 12 against the Giants, where they held Danny Dimes to 202 passing yards with a 47.1 QBR, but in a brutal 13-7 loss.

The good news is that the Jonathan Gannon will have the Eagles’ defense in a Cover 2 or Cover 3 zone more often while mixing in some Cover 2 Man. It remains to be seen what the Eagles will do with their safeties, but Marcus Epps and Anthony Harris fit the mold for a two-deep safety look. Gannon still will mix up his coverages based on the opponent, but I expect his schemes to be much more consistent, which could be a perfect fit for James Bradberry to shine.

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Photo Credit: SI.com