The 2023 NFL draft is a wrap, as the rich continue to get richer in Philadelphia.
The Eagles entered the draft with six selections, including the tenth and 30th overall pick and a second and third-rounder.
After GM Howie Roseman made seven trades, Philadelphia finished the weekend with seven picks and more 2024 ammo.
Here’s a look at the Eagles’ draft picks:
1st, No. 9: DT Jalen Carter, Georgia
1st, No. 30: LB Nolan Smith, Georgia
2nd, No. 65: OL Tyler Steen, Alabama
3rd, No. 66: S Sydney Brown, Illinois
4th, No. 105: CB Kelee Ringo, Georgia
6th, No. 188: QB Tanner McKee
7th, No. 249: DT Moro Ojomo, Texas
Round 1, Pick 9: DT Jalen Carter, Georgia
Pick: First round, 9th overall
Breakdown: Carter is a plug-and-play defensive tackle from Apopka High School in Florida, home of Hall of Famer Warren Sapp. Carter played basketball and placed second in the state weightlifting competition’s heavyweight division with a 395-pound bench press. Carter started twice in 10 games as a true freshman during the 2020 season (14 tackles, three for loss, one blocked kick). Carter was dominant as a sophomore, playing alongside 2022 first-round picks Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt on the defensive line for the national champions in 2021. He was a second-team All-SEC selection that year (37 tackles, 8.5 for loss with three sacks, two blocked kicks, and two starts in 15 games).
Carter led a Bulldogs defense that allowed the fewest rushing yards per game (77.1) in 2022, garnering first-team Associated Press All-American and all-conference honors despite missing time with knee and ankle injuries (32 tackles, seven for loss with three sacks, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles in 13 games, nine starts). Chad Reuter
Fit: A plug-and-play Day 1 starter at defensive tackle
Grade: A
Round 1 • Pick 30 (30) • EDGE Nolan Smith
Breakdown: The best player in his class, Smith was rated the top overall prospect in the 2019 recruiting class by 247Sports Composite. The Georgia native went to IMG Academy for two years.
He was the co-winner of the Bulldogs’ Defensive Newcomer of the Year award in 2019 (18 tackles, 2.5 sacks). He started one of 10 games in 2020 (22 tackles, 2.5 sacks) before breaking out in 2021, starting 14 games for the national champions (56 tackles, nine for loss with 3.5 sacks, one interception) and leading the squad with three forced fumbles. Smith started the first eight games of the Bulldogs’ 2022 title march (18 tackles, seven for loss with three sacks) before suffering a season-ending torn pectoral muscle. — by Chad Reuter
Fit: A key rotational piece as a rookie, Smith could see time at defensive end opposite Josh Sweat, behind Haason Reddick at the SAM linebacker spot, and be used as a pass rusher from the WILL linebacker spot.
Grade: A
Round 3 • Pick 2 (65) • OT Tyler Steen
Breakdown: A talented offensive tackle who’ll transition to offensive guard, Steen began his collegiate career with Vanderbilt on the defensive line, redshirting in 2018 after playing four games.
Steen started all 12 games at the right tackle spot in his first year at that position, then started all nine games in 2020 and all 12 games in 2021 at the left tackle spot. The former star at Florida’s St. Thomas Aquinas High School transferred from Vanderbilt to Alabama as a graduate student before the 2022 season, earning second-team All-SEC honors for his play in 13 starts at left tackle. His father, Daris, played football at LSU and is a retired Marine. Steen’s late grandfather, Rodney M. Davis, posthumously received the Medal of Honor for jumping on a grenade to save his compatriots in the Vietnam War. — by Chad Reuter
Fit A talented and versatile offensive lineman, Steen, will compete with second-year contributor Cam Jurgens for the right guard job.
Grade: B
Round 3 • Pick 3 (66) • DB Sydney Brown
Breakdown: One of the most athletic prospects in the entire draft, Brown will likely be utilized at multiple positions, and a Swiss Army Knife Sean Desai can matchup at his discretion.
A native of Ontario, Canada, Brown attended St. Stephens Episcopal High School in Florida for two years, playing football and earning state track meet finalist honors in multiple sprint events as a senior. He started 10 games (seven at safety, three at nickel) as a true freshman in 2018 (55 tackles, two for loss, one interception, five pass breakups). His twin brother, Chase, transfered from Western Michigan for the following season, when Sydney received third-team All-Big Ten Conference notice, tying for the team lead with three interceptions, returning one for a score. He missed the season’s first two games with a leg injury but returned to start 10 of 11 appearances (88 tackles, 2.5 for loss). Brown started six games at safety in 2020 (36 tackles) but missed the final two contests due to injury. He started all 12 games in 2021, garnering honorable mention all-conference honors after leading the Illini with 81 tackles while also posting three pass breakups and two forced fumbles in 12 starts. In 2022, Brown was a first-team All-Big Ten pick on the nation’s top scoring defense after intercepting six passes to tie for third in the FBS to go along with 59 tackles, 3.5 for loss with one sack and seven pass breakups in 12 starts. He opted out of the team’s bowl game to prepare for the draft. — by Chad Reuter
Fit: Brown will compete with Terrell Edmunds, Reed Blankenship, and Terrell Edmunds for one of the two safety spots. Sean Desai could steal a page from Dallas and sometimes utilize three safeties.
Grade: B
Round 4 • Pick 3 (105) • CB Kelee Ringo
Breakdown: A big cornerback with a track & field background, Ringo is a playmaker who’ll need to be more efficient when playing in space.
Despite the perceived negatives, Ringo is a value pick with a much higher grade and entered the season as a potential first-round pick.
Ringo was a top-10 national recruit and first-team USA Today All-American at Saguaro High School in Arizona, also winning state titles in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. The five-star recruit redshirted the 2020 season. Ringo stood out his first year on the field for the Bulldogs, earning SEC All-Freshman Team notice and starting the final 12 games (34 tackles, one sack, two interceptions, eight pass breakups) of the team’s national championship season. His pick-six against Alabama in the title game basically clinched the win. Ringo garnered second-team All-SEC honors after leading Georgia with seven pass breakups (also posting 42 tackles and intercepting two passes) and starting all 15 games of their second straight title-winning campaign. — by Chad Reuter
Fit: Reserve cornerback
Grade: B-
Round 6 • Pick 11 (188) • QB Tanner McKee
Breakdown: A 4-star QB prospect in 2017, McKee visited Alabama and spent time with All-Pro quarterback Jalen Hurts.
McKee served a two-year mission in Brazil before arriving at Stanford in 2020, turning down scholarship offers from Alabama, Texas and his parents’ alma mater, BYU. The four-star recruit excelled as a junior and senior at Centennial High School in California. He was diagnosed with melanoma as a sophomore in high school and had a mole on his head and two lymph nodes removed as a precautionary measure. He redshirted his first fall at Stanford, playing in one game (3-7-42.9%, 62 yards passing versus Oregon) before taking over starting duties in nine of 10 games played in 2021 (206-315-65.4%, 2,327 yards, 15 TDs, seven INTs; four rushing TDs). McKee missed two games with a leg injury during the season. He started all 12 games in 2022, throwing for 2,947 yards (264-426-62%, 13 TDs, eight INTs; two rushing TDs). — by Chad Reuter
Fit: Potential backup QB with mid-tier starter tools.
Grade: C
Round 7 • Pick 32 (249) • DT Moro Ojomo
Breakdown: Ojomo only started five of the 12 games he played this season, but he’s an athletic marvel and a game-wrecker as a pass rusher. According to Pro Football Focus, Ojomo generated a pressure rate of 17.2 percent and a pass rush win rate of 24.1 percent in 2022.
Ojomo was born in Nigeria and moved to the United States when he was 7 years old. He became a second-team all-state pick as a senior at Katy High School. He played in three games off the bench (no statistics) during his redshirt season at Texas. Ojomo played in all 13 games in 2019, starting twice (13 tackles, 2.5 for loss) before getting the nod to begin all 10 games of the 2020 campaign (21 tackles, 2.5 for loss with two sacks). Big 12 coaches voted him honorable mention all-conference in 2021 (29 tackles, three for loss, 12 starts) and 2022 (32 tackles, 5.5 for loss with three sacks in 12 games, five starts). — by Chad Reuter
Fit: He’ll join a group that includes Jalen Carter, Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Marlon Tuipulotu, and Kentavisu Street as the key participants.
Grade: c+
