The Philadelphia Eagles’ draft strategy has been made very clear over the last few years.
Philly held the Nos. 10 and 30 overall picks in 2023. They moved up from No. 10 to No. 9 to take Jalen Carter. Then with the No. 30 pick, they grabbed Nolan Smith.
Both Carter and Smith were part of the dominant Georgia defense, so it’s clear Philly likes the Bulldogs’ defense. But that’s not all.
Fans recall that the Eagles only had five picks in 2022 and used two of them on former Georgia defensive players. They took Jordan Davis at No. 13 and then Nakobe Dean at No. 83.
Dean was actually in attendance for Smith’s draft party on Thursday night and got to celebrate with his new teammate.
It's all Georgia Bulldogs in Philly 🦅 🐶
Eagles select Nolan Smith with the 30th overall pick #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/Qa6kgedobj
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) April 28, 2023
So two years in a row, the Eagles used their first-round picks on Georgia defensive players. They have drafted four players off Georgia’s defense over the past two years. They can add even more Bulldogs throughout the rest of the 2023 draft.
The #Eagles are re-creating the Georgia defense in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/JI85z9YCwp
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 28, 2023
Let’s also not forget that Philly has taken Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith and Landon Dickerson in recent drafts as well, all from the Alabama offense.
Here’s a winning formula: take players off Georgia’s defense and Alabama’s offense.
