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LSU CB Mekhi Garner gets UDFA deal after 2023 NFL Draft

On3 imageby:Shea Dixon•04/29/23•

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Mekhi-Garner1
(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

LSU cornerback Mekhi Garner has taken the long road to the NFL, but it paid off on Saturday evening when he agreed to an undrafted free agent deal with Philadelphia Eagles.

The deal was first reported by On3’s Matt Zenitz.

This past season, Garner stepped into a starting role as one of LSU’s key transfer additions. He finished the year with 43 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and eight pass breakups.

After starting 13 regular games in 2022 for LSU, Garner left college with 32 starts across 39 appearances with 106 tackles, five tackles for loss, three interceptions and 26 pass breakups.

Garner sees his football journey pay off

Mekhi Garner transferred to LSU from Louisiana, where he was a key piece in the secondary for the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Garner was a Third-Team All-Sun Belt selection in 2021 after he totaled 31 total tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. In 2020, he played in 11 games, earning eight starts and logging 27 tackles, a tackle-for-loss and a sack en route to earning Honorable Mention All-Sun Belt Conference honors.

Garner appeared in two games for the Ragin’ Cajuns in 2019, which came after he began his collegiate career at Navarro College in 2018. During his one season at Navarro College, Garner played in 10 games and registered 48 tackles, two interceptions and five pass breakups.

Garner attended high school at Poteet High in Mesquite, Texas.

Garner was not ranked by any of the major recruiting services coming out of high school. After stops at junior college, Louisiana-Lafayette and LSU, he’s now an NFL Draft pick.

Next step: the NFL

What does Garner bring to the next level?

“Garner is a big, long corner with a jarring press,” said NFL.com reporter Lance Zierlein. “However, he’s missing the footwork and body control to phase and match NFL routes that force him to change direction. He’s a handful when he’s in position to challenge the throw, but teams might need to plug him into a Cover 2 scheme or try him at safety, where he can help support the run and cover tight ends.”

The 6-2, 217-pound defensive back compared his physicality and size to one of the best corners to come through LSU in Derek Stingley.

“I’m a different corner like Stingley,” Garner said before he arrived at LSU. “Me and Stingley are probably like similar. Big-bodied corners. Ready to get into the fit if we got to. I’m very versatile, too. They’re going to put me at corner, but I can play other positions too just like Stingley.”

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