With the 224th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles selected LSU LB JaCoby Stevens.
Stevens (6'1, 212) was listed as a safety at LSU, but he played more like a linebacker, and unsurprisingly, the Eagles categorized him as a linebacker in their announcement of the pick. His career numbers:
| JaCoby Stevens | Tackles (TFL) | Sacks | INT | PBU |
| 2018 | 35 (6.5) | 1.5 | 1 | 5 |
| 2019 | 92 (9) | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| 2020 | 63 (6) | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| TOTAL | 102 (21.5) | 9.5 | 4 | 15 |
As you can see, Stevens has high sack and TFL totals for a college safety. The Eagles' tendency to convert safeties to linebacker did not die with Jim Schwartz's departure, and will apparently continue on unfettered, which really, is a trend that is occurring league-wide. A highlight reel:
One of the themes of this Eagles draft was adding tough, competitive player, and Stevens fits that description. Stevens wore the No. 7 jersey for LSU in 2020, which has a special meaning.
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