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Eagles Corner Back Rasul Douglas Is Standing Out

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia Eagles corner back Rasul Douglas took a roundabout route to the NFL.

First he played at Nassau Community College in New York. From there, he transferred to a big-time program at West Virginia where a technical snafu interrupted his transition.

"I had an online class I took and it shut down," Douglas explained. "Made it so I could never transfer it over, so I was ineligible. Then, maybe two days before the first game, the grade system popped up and I had the transcripts faxed over and I was ineligible for the first couple games."

After being eligible and learning a new defense, things again clicked for Douglas in his senior year with the Mountaineers. He led the nation with 8 picks and worked his way up the draft board with the eagles taking him in the third round.

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"One of the things that's impressed me about Rasul is every time we've taken a step up in competition, he's sort of met that challenge," Jim Schwartz, the Eagles defensive coordinator, explained.

"And it might not look the same on a normal practice, all of the sudden at our first padded practice he really stood out," Schwartz continued. "Our first preseason game, I thought he stood out. He's got great length; he can get his hands on balls. He responded quickly to things that happened in the game."

Douglas enjoys new challenges.

On Thursday, he'll play his first NFL home game at Lincoln Financial Field.

"It's starting to be a routine when I get out there," Douglas explained. "Everything is working together now. I'm very excited to do it in front of our fans. Hopefully we can get a win."

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