The Philadelphia Eagles’ defense has some dogs on it. Almost literally. After selecting defensive tackle Jalen Carter and edge rusher Nolan Smith from Georgia in the first round Thursday night, the Eagles moved up in Round 4 for to pick up defensive back Kelee Ringo from the Bulldogs.
General manager Howie Roseman and Co. have now picked up five defensive starters from one of the greatest units in college football history over the past two drafts. Remember, Philadelphia exhausted a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft on former Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis. It then picked up linebacker Nakobe Dean in the third round.
As for the trade up to get Ringo on Saturday, Philadelphia’s front office obviously targeted him overnight after the former top prospect fell down the board big time. In the process, the Eagles gave up a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to the Houston Texans.
Ringo is an intriguing fit for the Philadelphia Eagles. Heading into the 2022 college football season, he was seen as a lock to go in the first round. Unfortunately, a majority of teams around the NFL don’t view him as a cornerback at the next level. That’s the natural position Kelee Ringo played with Georgia.
Despite this, Ringo’s numbers and performance at Georgia speaks for itself. He recorded 15 passes defended and four interceptions over the course of the past two seasons with the Bulldogs.
Philadelphia Eagles continue to kill NFL Draft
In addition to picking up these three former Georgia stars, Philadelphia added former Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Steen in the third round. He might translate to guard in the NFL. But the team absolutely loves what it has in a player who protected Bryce Young’s blindside with the Crimson Tide a season ago.
Steen even talked about now teaming up with former Georgia rivals with the Philadelphia Eagles during his introductory conference call.
“I think it’ll definitely make me better. It’s iron sharpens iron at the end of the day. I think at Alabama obviously we had great players on the defensive line and the defense in general, and getting a chance to practice against them every day made me that much better of a player.
So, I can’t wait to get down there and practice every day against those guys and get the opportunity to just become that much better of a player. I’m very excited about that.”
New Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Tyler Steen
Later in the third round, Philadelphia nabbed value at a need position in former Illinois defensive back Sydney Brown. Like Ringo, he can play both cornerback and safety at the next level. Brown recorded a whopping six interceptions for the Illini last season.