Eagles Finish Day 2 with CB Rasul Douglas

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - The Eagles finished off a run of defensive players in the first three rounds of the NFL draft Friday be selecting West Virginia cornerback Rasul Douglas with the 99th overall selection.

"We’re excited to add Rasul [to the team]," Eagles execeutive VP of football operations Howie Roseman said. "He was one of the guys, when we made the [trade with Baltimore for DT Tim Jernigan], that we talked about possibly losing out in that 74 to 99 mix. It was a long way to go from 43 to 99, but we feel like this guy fits our system. [He has] tremendous ball skills and length. He’s someone who was really on our radar for a long time and had a really good process, including the Senior Bowl."

A lengthy 6-foot-2 corner Douglas led the entire country with eight interceptions last season but has pedestrian speed for the position in the 4.6 range.

Asked what set Douglas apart, personnel chief Joe Douglas pointed to his instincts and competitiveness.

"For a guy that's a JuCo guy and didn't have a ton of time playing at West Virginia, his instincts, his natural instincts, to find and play the ball and finish,." Douglas said. "And then the thing that really stood out in his week at the Senior Bowl, you guys probably heard me talk about it all the time, this guy is tough and very competitive. You saw it the entire week. Every rep was like the last rep he was playing. I love the way this guy competes."

With second-round pick Sidney Jones likely sidelined into the season with a torn Achilles, however, Douglas will get every opportunity to compete for significant playing time early at what is the team's thinnest position on paper.

-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973espn.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen