Jalen Mills appears set to be Eagles starter in 2017

2016 starting Eagles’ cornerbacks Nolan Carroll and Leodis McKelvin departed this offseason, leaving sophomore Jalen Mills (663 snaps as a rookie) atop the depth chart.
ESPN Eagles reporter Tim McManus is projecting Mills to be a starter on the Eagles’ defense this upcoming season.
As a rookie seventh-round pick in 2016, the former LSU Tiger predictably struggled. He was PFF’s lowest-graded cornerback last season (34.5 overall) while allowing a catch for every 7.1 coverage snaps (ranking 112th out of 117 qualifiers).
Despite his rookie bumps, Philadelphia’s coaching staff have admired the resilience of their seventh-round corner. After allowing a first-down reception, Mills allowed a catch on 20 of 31 passes subsequently, giving up only eight first downs and no scores.
Mills did show some bright spots in 2016, defending four passes and only allowing one touchdown in primary coverage.
It was a minority of major mistakes that wrecked his rookie season. Mills at least showed flashes within games, frequently responding down the stretch.
The Eagles are bullish on their young pass defender, and believe he will take a big step forward in 2017.