Eagles host ‘chess piece’ draft prospect who could transform their defense

The Philadelphia Eagles are showing interest in one of the most versatile defensive backs in the 2026 NFL draft.

The Eagles hosted Arizona defensive back Treydan Stukes on a top-30 visit on Tuesday, according to a report from The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane.

Teams can bring up to 30 players in for a formal visit as a way to get to know the player better. Local prospects do not count toward that top-30 total.

Stukes is listed as both a cornerback and a safety by NFL draft evaluators and has been described as a chess piece in the secondary.

Stukes is the No. 6 safety and the No. 70 overall prospect in the draft, per ESPN. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked Stukes as the No. 11 corner and No. 77 overall prospect.

“A former walk-on and late bloomer, Stukes got better each season in college, while playing mostly in a nickel role,” Brugler wrote. “He has outstanding instincts and toughness — and put some ‘wow’ interceptions on film.”

“Stukes is an older prospect and has an ACL tear in his background (2024), but the football has a magnetic pull for him,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote. “Coaches will love his football character and versatility as a big nickelback or split safety.”

Stukes was a third-team All-American and first-team All-Big 12 honoree at Arizona in 2025. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder recorded 52 tackles and four interceptions in 10 games.

The Eagles have a need at safety after Reed Blankenship left in free agency. Stukes could link up with Andrew Mukuba and Marcus Epps at safety and fill out a secondary that features star cornerbacks Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell.

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If the Eagles drafted Stukes and used him as a slot corner, that could free up DeJean to play elsewhere on Vic Fangio’s unit, too.

Stukes projects as a likely third-round pick. The Eagles own two third-rounders at Nos. 68 and 98 overall.

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