The Philadelphia Eagles used first-round draft picks on former Georgia defenders Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith.
And according to veteran defensive end Josh Sweat, it looks like it will pay off.
“The work ethic is pretty crazy for both of them,” Sweat said. “They’re already working. Shoot, they’re professionals, man. Like it’s actually surprising coming out of college.
“But they’re working. They’re just here to learn and they’re making improvement quickly.”
This should not come as too big of surprise given the way Kirby Smart runs his Georgia program. There’s a reason the Eagles have drafted five Bulldogs in the past two seasons.
Former Georgia running back Kenny McIntosh, a seventh-round selection by the Seattle Seahawks in this year’s draft, compared UGA to the NFL a few weeks ago, saying it reminds him of Georgia.
“It’s been smooth,” McIntosh shared about his experience at the Seahawks’ rookie minicamp. “Being out here competing with these guys, it really reminded me of Georgia. I’m not going to lie to you. The way Georgia practices and how we got after things, I would say that Kirby (Smart) really is similar to what we do here at the next level to get better.
Everything I did in college is like a repeat. They are saying the same things that my coaches said at the college level, so being out here was like a no-brainer.”
The Eagles have drafted five former Georgia players during the last two NFL drafts, and they added former UGA running back D’Andre Swift in a trade with the Detroit Lions.
The drafted players include defensive tackle Jordan Davis (1st round, 2022), linebacker Nakobe Dean (3rd round, 2022), defensive tackle Jalen Carter (1st round, 2023), outside linebacker Nolan Smith (1st round, 2023), and cornerback Kelee Ringo (4th round, 2023).
That’s a lot of Dawgs in Philly next season. Linebacker Nakobe Dean, who is expected to play a much larger role in 2023, is a big fan of what Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman is doing with the roster.
“I think our GM, Howie Roseman, did a good job drafting those guys this year. I think he picked the best available guys,” Dean said during an appearance on Good Morning Football.
“I don’t think he’s got a thing for Georgia (players), especially being from Florida. I think he picked the best available guys. He called me a lot asking about those guys — Kelee, Jordan and Nolan. I want to feel like I had something to do with it. … After the draft, I sent him a little ‘Go Dawgs.’”
After playing mostly special teams and as a backup linebacker in 2022 during his rookie year, Dean is likely to play a much larger role this season. With T.J. Edwards (Bears) and Kyzir White (Cardinals) gone, Dean will step into that starting role at middle linebacker.
Lined up in front of him will be Davis and Carter. And behind him, depending on how he performs this offseason, will be Ringo at cornerback.
Smart once declared the University of Georgia wouldn’t be the ones hunted, but instead, it would be the hunters. Fast forward to now, and Dean proudly stated the following:
“We don’t look at it like we’ve got the target on our back. We look at it like we’re the ones out there hunting.”
As a Georgia fan, you love to see that philosophy carried into the NFL. Dean’s statement was inspired by Smart’s 2022 SEC media days quote:
“People ask the question, ‘how does it feel to be hunted?’
We will not be hunted at the University of Georgia. I can promise you that. The hunting we do will be from us going the other direction.
We’re not going to sit back and be passive,” Smart said in July of 2022.
