2010 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft: Pick No. 37

Rd. # Player Pos. College 2 37 Nate Allen S South Florida General Manager: n4ry4

With the 37th pick of the 2010 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select South Florida safety Nate Allen.

Here is n4ry4's reasoning for the pick:

After the departure of superstar safety Brian Dawkins at the end of 2008, the Eagles' defense has been working with a hole in the middle of the secondary. Their regular season passing defense (in total yards) went from 3rd best in the NFL in 2008 to 17th best in 2009. They very much need to find a playmaker at free safety.

Philadelphia did sign CB/FS Marlin Jackson from the Colts this offseason, but Jackson has only started more than 8 games one season in his five-year career (16 games in 2007), and has battled injuries of late, so there is still an immediate and long-term need at the position.

Enter Nate Allen, a very productive, instinctive playmaker from South Florida. While Allen may not have the elite speed and agility of the top safety prospects, everything else about him looks very solid and NFL-ready right away. He has taken in nine interceptions and broken up twelve passes in three seasons, and seems to have a knack for getting to the ball quickly. He's a good tackler too. His work ethic, film study and football IQ really show up on the field, and he exhibits good leadership. He has started every single game for three straight years, and is likely ready to start for an NFL team quickly.

The NFC East is a fairly strong division in the quarterback department. In five games against the Giants and Cowboys last year (including the playoff loss to Dallas), Eli Manning and Tony Romo averaged a 97.2 QB rating against the Eagles. A safety like Nate Allen should help the defense immediately as they play against Romo, Manning, and now, Donovan McNabb twice a year.

Check out the 2010 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft tracker for a look at all of the picks.