After drafting Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith, the jokes began flying around about Philadelphia becoming “Athens North”. Then Eagles GM Howie Roseman took it a step further.
Following the brace of Georgia Bulldogs players that the Philadelphia Eagles grabbed in the first two rounds, GM Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni went back to the Athens well to grab cornerback Kelee Ringo in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. This takes the number of Georgia football defensive players drafted by the Eagles in the last two drafts to five.
Rich Eisen and colleagues had earlier joked about the Eagles unashamedly building their defense around players from Kirby Smart’s historic “red wall” defense. However, the joke turned serious when the Eagles reached into the fourth round to grab yet another member of the Bulldogs’ defense by selecting Ringo with the 105th pick.
Ringo had been touted as a high-round pick with many thinking he could be selected at the end of the first or beginning of the second rounds. That was not to be with front offices shying away from using a high-round pick on such an exciting but aggressive talent. Come Saturday morning, the Eagles who were already invested in Georgia’s ethos probably couldn’t believe that Ringo was still on the board.
D’Andre Swift traded to the Eagles
Around the same time, rumors circled Kansas City that the Detroit Lions were looking to offload running back and Georgia alumni, D’Andre Swift. Eyebrows were raised during the first round when the Lions selected running back Jahmyr Gibbs from Alabama, especially when Swift was already on the roster. Lions GM Brad Holmes did little after the pick to reassure Swift that his future remained in Detroit at which point the writing seemed on the wall.
So it was on Saturday that the Eagles swooped back in to trade for Swift. In return, per the Lions official release, Detroit receives a fourth-round pick in 2025 and a seventh-round pick this year (#219). Philadelphia gets Swift plus a seventh-round pick (#249) this year.
This is a good move for Swift who has struggled to find confidence following some injuries during his time in Detroit. Not only will Swift link back up with some familiar, friendly faces from Georgia, but he is also from Philadelphia so is essentially returning home.
Swift joins Rashaad Penny who transferred in from Seattle along with Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott in the Eagle running backs room. This feels like a much better fit for Swift.
This draft marks a watershed for the Eagles, with it being the first time that they have drafted three players from the same school in a single draft in the modern draft era.