Jordan Poyer hoping to make impact in Eagles secondary

Poyer went from potential second-round pick to a seventh rounder.

Everyone is trying to figure out what happened to Jordan Poyer on draft day.

Poyer, a 6-foot, 191-pound cornerback out of Oregon State, ranked second in the country last season with seven interceptions. His immeasurables, despite a slow 4.54 dash time at the combine, are off the charts, according to most scouts. Poyer was even a two-sport star in high school who was drafted by the Florida Marlins.

Poyer went into last weekend’s draft expecting to be taken in the second or third round. Yet, there he was, still sitting around when the Eagles selected him in the seventh round (No. 218 overall). He isn’t mad, but he’ll definitely use that as motivation.

“It was [agonizing to fall], but I kind of want to have an idea of who passed me up because I kind of use that stuff when I play,” Poyer said. “I’ll remember who passed me up and I’ll use it and let it fuel me.”

One reason for the slight may have been for his involvement in an off-the-field issue. Poyer got mixed up in a fight at a bar when he was underage, something he claims the media blew out of proportion.

“It wasn’t a fight,” Poyer said. “It was more just me being dumb. I wasn’t 21, going into a bar and kind of refused to leave and then got 60 days banned from the bar, got kicked out of the bar and wasn’t allowed to come back.”

Poyer has a legitimate shot at competing for a starting job with the Birds. The team is very thin at cornerback, especially after the departure of Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Free-agent additions Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher are the projected starters right now.

“That’s my plan. I just want to come in here and show what I can do,” Poyer said. “I know once I get the opportunity and once I grasp the playbook, I think that I’ll have an opportunity to play. I’m just going to learn from the older guys, learn from the vets and just make the most of the opportunity.”