The Philadelphia Eagles were more than impressed with the 2021 Georgia Bulldogs national championship defense, making sure nearly half of the unit was reunited when they got to the professional ranks.
With the selection of Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Eagles have selected five defenders from Georgia in a two-year span -- the most ever for a franchise that drafted defenders from one school in the Common Draft Era (since 1967). The Eagles also tied the NFL record for the most draft picks in a two-year span coming out of one school (five).
Here are the Georgia players the Eagles have drafted since the 2022 NFL Draft:
| Player (Year) | Round | Position |
|---|---|---|
Jordan Davis (2022) | 1 (No. 13) | DT |
Nakobe Dean (2022) | 3 (No. 83) | LB |
Jalen Carter (2023) | 1 (No. 9) | DT |
Nolan Smith (2023) | 1 (No. 30) | EDGE |
Kelee Ringo (2023) | 4 (No. 105) | DB |
The Eagles traded up to draft three of these players, starting with Davis in the 2022 draft. The Eagles gave up a first, fourth, and two fifth-round selections (15th, 124th, 162nd and 166th overall) to move up two spots to No. 13 overall and select Davis.
Philadelphia also traded up to select Carter, giving up the No. 10 pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick to move up one spot to No. 9 and select him. The Eagles parted ways with a 2024 third-round pick for the rights to the No. 105 pick in the fourth round (the third pick of the round) -- which they used to select Ringo.
Clearly, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman values Georgia players. The Eagles now have five starters on the 2021 national championship defense from Georgia, which held opponents to just 10.2 points per game.
Seven players from that defense were drafted in the first round. The Eagles have three of them.
"I went to Georgia last year at practice, and I remember coming back and being like -- Coach (Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni) was like, who did you like there, and I'm like, I don't know, like the whole defense," Roseman said. "It's just kind of amazing to think of all these guys that we got, these two guys came in today -- and they're lobbying for like three more guys."
