The Eagles landed an A+ draft haul over the weekend, landing two dynamic defenders from Georgia, a hybrid safety, and a versatile offensive guard.
Philadelphia is now working to sign undrafted free agents and prepare for the upcoming rookie minicamp. As experts around the league hand out grades, we’re looking at projected starters for the upcoming season.
Jalen Carter is a monster at defensive tackle, but could the All-American be forced to wait his turn, along with six others?
Round 1, Pick 9: DT Jalen Carter, Georgia
It is not an automatic situation, but as the Eagles pivot towards retooling the roster, Fletcher Cox’s days as a starter could end.
Carter is a monster in the middle, the No. 1 player on many draft boards, and well-prepared to carry the torch.
Jordan Davis, Fletcher Cox, Milton Williams, and Marlon Tuipulotu all return at defensive tackle for the Birds. At the same time, Kentavius Street also arrives as a hybrid capable of playing on the edge.
With Philadelphia preferring to attack in waves, Carter should see 25-28 snaps as a rookie, and Sean Desai can move guys around. Still, there’s a long way to go before the All-American from Georgia starts the season opener.
Round 1 • Pick 30 (30) • EDGE Nolan Smith
One of the top 15 natural talents in the draft, Smith, like Carter, joins a loaded position group that appears to be now positionless, with Sean Desai set to transition to more 3-4 looks.
Smith is similar to Haason Reddick and could see time at the SAM linebacker spot, while there’s been discussion of Smith being athletic enough to play the weakside areas.
Smith won’t start as a rookie, but he’ll play a significant role in a rotation, including Reddick, Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, Derek Barnett, Janarius Robinson, Kentavius Street, and others.
Round 3 • Pick 2 (65) • OT Tyler Steen
The player selected in the third round could be the first rookie to start a game based on Nick Sirianni’s quest for more competition.
Steen will battle second-year center Cam Jurgens, Tyrese Robinson, and Brett Toth to replace the departed Isaac Seumalo.
Round 3 • Pick 3 (66) • DB Sydney Brown
Another wild card to watch, Brown can do it all from the slot, box, and deep safety position, while having the athletic ability to make plays in space or while tracking the football.
So who from this year’s Eagles Draft Class has the best chance to start and see the field most? @RossTuckerNFL with his thoughts. @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/ZB5VaAH5OG
— rob kuestner (@rkuestnernbc10) May 2, 2023
Philadelphia returned Reed Blankenship and K’Von Wallace from last season while adding Terrell Edmunds and Justin Evans to the position.
A highly productive player at Illinois, where he started for five seasons, Brown could be talented enough to make Howie Roseman part ways with one of the newly added safeties.
Round 4 • Pick 3 (105) • CB Kelee Ringo
A talented and dynamic athlete, Ringo has a lot of development to do. He’d need to perform at another level to cede snaps away from Darius Slay, James Bradberry, and Avonte Maddox early on.
A red-shirt season where Ringo learns the NFL game while soaking up knowledge from Darius Slay and James Bradberry would be a success.
Round 6 • Pick 11 (188) • QB Tanner McKee
The expectation is that McKee won’t see the field this season, but Philadelphia is all about developing quarterbacks for the future.
Round 7 • Pick 32 (249) • DT Moro Ojomo
Ojomo will look to make the roster at one of the Eagles’ deepest positions on the team.
He’ll compete with Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Fletcher Cox, Milton Williams, Kentavius Street, and Marlon Tuipulotu for snaps at defensive tackles.
Like Ringo, a redshirt season for Ojomo wouldn’t be the worse thing that could happen as long as he’s improving.
