PHILADELPHIA -- Last year, the Philadelphia Eagles were sitting with the 22nd pick in the NFL draft, hoping Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix would still be available.

The Green Bay Packers dashed that plan, taking Clinton-Dix with the 21st pick. The Eagles immediately traded their pick to the Cleveland Browns, who used it on quarterback Johnny Manziel. At No. 26, the pick obtained in the trade with the Browns, the Eagles selected Louisville outside linebacker Marcus Smith.

If Todd McShay’s third mock draft is correct, the Eagles will be in a similar situation in this year’s draft. McShay has them drafting another Alabama safety, Landon Collins. Only this time, the Eagles are sitting at No. 20 overall. If they’d had that pick last year, they probably wouldn’t need Collins. They would have Clinton-Dix.

As I wrote the other day, I think the Eagles do need to use the draft to add talent in their secondary. I’m a little leery, though, of relying on the draft to plug the holes created by the likely free-agent departures of safety Nate Allen and cornerback Bradley Fletcher. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a rookie, asking him to step right in and start from Day One.

But if they are going to do that, it makes more sense to do it at safety than at cornerback. A rookie mistake at cornerback means a wide receiver running free. A rookie mistake at safety can be covered up a little bit more readily.

Clinton-Dix played in all 18 games for the Packers, including the playoffs. He started 10 regular-season games and both playoff games. He had one sack and one interception during the regular season.

Collins appears to be a more physical player than Clinton-Dix. At 6-foot, 228 pounds, he would be more suited to playing closer to the line of scrimmage. The Eagles like their safeties to be versatile, able to play inside the box or drop back into coverage. Playing center field is not Collins’ strong suit, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be an upgrade from Allen.

Collins ran a 4.53 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine last week.

McShay had the Eagles taking Collins in his last mock draft. There was one interesting change worth noting. Cornerback Marcus Peters, who has been projected as the Eagles’ pick in other mock drafts, dropped all the way to No. 26 in McShay’s new version. Peters was the 22nd pick in McShay’s second mock draft.

If the takeaway is that Peters’ stock fell, even a little bit, based on the combine, that would make the Eagles less likely to draft him. Chip Kelly is big on players fitting into the culture of the Eagles’ organization. Peters, who was kicked off the team at Washington last season, may not be on the Eagles’ draft board.