NFL Draft Grade: Philadelphia Eagles

Written by: Austin Thomas

The Philadelphia Eagles absolutely crushed the 2023 NFL Draft. They added talent to their already impressive defense, including three more starters from the Georgia Bulldogs' back-to-back championship-winning defense. They'll fit in nicely with last year's Georgia duo of Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean. Sure, the majority of the Eagles' draft capital was reassuring the defensive side of the ball, but let's not forget Philadelphia also made a huge splash with a day-three trade for an offensive playmaker from the Detroit Lions. Yes, after Detroit took Jahmyr Gibbs with the #12 pick, D'Andre Swift was there for the taking and Howie Roseman swooped in and took advantage as it only took a 2025 4th round selection and a swap of 7th round pick from this year (pick #219 for #249). Technically this wasn't a draft selection, I understand that, but it needs to be addressed to fully grasp the magnitude of how the Eagles came away as big winners this weekend. Using their premier draft picks on impactful defensive players and then being able to conjointly acquire another weapon via trade for Jalen Hurts to utilize just keeps Philly in the driver's seat within the NFC and a chance to repeat as conference champions while getting back to the Super Bowl. This team was greatly disappointed in how their Super Bowl performance transpired, but it left them hungry to get back and this draft is just the beginning of their championship quest.

• During many pre-draft chatters, Jalen Carter was being removed from several draft boards due to some off-field issues. Admittedly, I too had my befuddled questions about his character, but I'm a firm believer in a player's draft location playing a major part in their professional maturity progression. Meaning how quickly a player can and will transition from college into the NFL. There were very few landing spots I had where Jalen Carter would've gone and been able to flourish and move past all the distractions while focusing purely on football. I think Jalen Carter and the Eagles are the perfect marriage and he'll have plenty of former Georgia Bulldog friends by his side during the tough times and help guide him through the darkness. From a player standpoint, Jalen Carter was once proclaimed to be an option to go #1 overall back when the Chicago Bears owned the top spot, which is a reason the Eagles felt they needed to move up one spot so they wouldn't snipe him from them. If Jalen Carter can clean up his act and move past the trauma, pairing him with Jordan Davis is going to give Philly a dynamic duo in the middle of their defense for years to come.

• A stroke of luck for Philadelphia here. Nolan Smith was in consideration when they owned the #10 pick and here they are grabbing him at pick #30. From a comparison outlook, some had Nolan Smith's game similar to Haason Reddick and now they're teammates. Who better to teach and develop the young buck's craft and technique that is the element of an NFL pass rusher than the man himself? Not only is this a player that'll be a cornerstone on the defense in the future, but Smith will provide great depth in the rotation this season too. Philly has had a long list of staggering pass rushers over the years and Nolan Smith could be the next.

• Yet another offensive lineman attending Stoutland University this fall. The behemoth of a man that is Tyler Steen comes in at 6'6" and 321 lbs. Talk about a wall along the offensive line. Steen played tackle at Alabama, but the Eagles announced him as a guard and even hinted that he'll be in the running for the starting right guard spot. With Jeff Stoutland as the mastermind behind the ongoing success of the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line, I have full confidence in whatever he has planned. In Jeff Stoutland we trust. People want to talk about all the defensive Georgia players the Eagles have drafted, but what about another SEC team the Eagles have prioritized, but on the offensive side of the ball? Alabama has provided DeVonta Smith, Landon Dickerson, and now Tyler Steen. Also, bear in mind, that Jalen Hurts started his collegiate career with the Crimson Tide (2016-2018) before transferring to Oklahoma.

• Now, Sydney Brown isn't going to compensate for the loss of CJ Gardner-Johnson, no one on the roster is single-handedly going to accomplish that. However, Sydney Brown does fit the intensity of the Philadelphia culture with his fiery passion. Brown's a physical safety that likes to play in the box and won't shy away from contact. He'll likely be a liability against elite passing teams, but I don't think they drafted Brown for his coverage skills. Sydney Brown will be more of an asset in the running game, but did have 10 career interceptions at Illinois, so he won't be overly misplaced in the secondary.

• Once a projected first-round talent, Kelee Ringo found himself sliding on draft day pick after pick, round after round. Finally, after two days and three rounds in the book along with much anticipation, Ringo heard his name called atop the fourth round. Ringo had a rollercoaster performance at the NFL Combine highlighted by his 4.36 official 40-yard dash, but then media and keyboard GMs over blew this particular backpedaling drill in which he looked less than comfortable partaking in. I'm sure teams questioned his athleticism which caused his downfall and draft slide into the fourth round. Putting all that aside, Kelee Ringo has the pedigree of a starting two-time championship player. He'll benefit greatly from redshirting behind the likes of Pro Bowl corners Darius Slay and James Bradberry.

• There was a total of 14 QBs taken in the 2023 NFL Draft, 12 going in the first five rounds alone which set an NFL Draft record. The Eagles undoubtedly wanted to get in on the action and selected Stanford's quarterback Tanner McKee. By no means is this an earth-shattering or franchise-altering selection, but it does initiate a competition for Marcus Mariota and respectfully earn his spot as QB2. McKee could eventually make his way into a prominent backup role down the road with Mariota's contract only a one-year deal.

• With their final selection, Philadelphia selected DT Moro Ojomo from Texas. Honestly, it's going to be a tough mountain to climb up the depth chart for Ojomo. Barring injury, four of the DT roster spots are locked up with long-time staple Fletcher Cox, last year's first-rounder Jordan Davis, this year's first-rounder Jalen Carter and promising depth piece Milton Williams. Every roster is constructed differently, but there's presumably one, maybe two, spots up for grabs. Ojomo can put in the work and secure a role on this team, however, he'll have to grind all summer training to make a name for himself and then make enough plays during the pre-season to have a shot at cracking the final roster. Hope it works out for him.

After Philadelphia acquired two immediate impact defensive players to reinforce the defense, a potential starting offensive lineman this year along with a couple of other defensive players that fill in depth for now, but eventually solidify roles as future starters, this class has the recipe to be one of Howie Roseman's best drafts to date. Factor in the spontaneous trade for D'Andre Swift and you can see why Philadelphia Eagle fans were jumping for joy after this weekend's firework display. Overall, I give this draft a solid A- grade. Compared to many other draft evaluators who gave high praise amidst A and A+ grades, I slightly downgraded to an A- as I craved a WR to spar with Quez Watkins and Olamide Zaccheaus for the WR3 spot. All in all, Howie Roseman authored a phenomenal draft script and this accumulation of players will not only help retain control within the conference it'll also set Philadelphia up for future success.