Philadelphia Eagles 2023 undrafted free agent tracker with grades
Now, that was fun! The Philadelphia Eagles walked into the 2023 NFL Draft with six picks. Howie Roseman worked his magic, made a few moves, and Philly shrewdly walked out with seven new rookies AND D’Andre Swift following a Day 3 trade with the Detroit Lions. All that needed to take place for the latter move to occur was for Philly to hand the Lions a third-day choice in 2025 and agree to swap seventh-round picks with the Lions as well.
A few things must be considered when discussing the Swift deal. The Lions drafted Jahnyr Gibbs in Round 1 which led other franchises to call them to inquire about asking prices. Some of the ease with which Philly pulled this off might be attributable to Swift being in the final year of his rookie deal.
Any team interested in signing him would be doing so knowing that he’s either a one-year rental or someone that will require a new deal at the season’s end or beforehand. It’s also worth mentioning Philly could earn a compensatory pick in 2025 if he goes ‘one and done’.
There’s that. Here’s a look at the 2023 Eagles draft class
Round 1 – Jalen Carter, Georgia Bulldogs, defensive tackle (Pick 9)
Round 1 – Nolan Smith, Georgia Bulldogs, EDGE (Pick 30)
Round 3 – Tyler Sheen, Alabama, OL (Pick 65)
Round 3 – Sydney Brown, Illinois, safety (Pick 66)
Round 4 – Kelee Ringo, Georgia, cornerback (Pick 105)
Round 6 – Tanner McKee, QB, Stanford (Pick 188)
Round 7 – Moro Ojomo, Texas, defensive tackle (Pick 248)
The work didn’t end when the selection meeting did. The process of adding another undrafted free agent class begins.
Here’s a running list of every undrafted free agent the Eagles have added, along with grades for each addition.
Philly opened the festivities by adding a player at a position many have hoped they’d upgrade… punter.
Ty Zentner, kicker/punter, Kansas State Wildcats
Get used to seeing Legatron hashtags. Ty Zentner joins the Eagles. The nickname is well-deserved.
He connected on all 31 of his extra-point attempts and each of his 11 field-goal attempts. He also averaged 44.5 yards per punt. Grade: A+
Trevor Reid, offensive tackle, Louisville Cardinals
Trevor Reid is a six-foot-four, 297-pound offensive tackle. He spent two years at Georgia Military College before transferring to Louisville and playing in nine games on special teams with the Cardinals this past season. Grade: B-
Chim Okorafor, offensive lineman, Benedictine Football
Standing at six-foot-six and tipping the scales at 331 pounds, Chim Okorafor looks the part of a ten-year starter in the National Football League. That leads us to a very important and very serious question.
Does he play like one? He’ll have an opportunity to prove he has what it takes as a member of the Eagles UDFA class. Grade: C
Joseph Ngata, wide receiver, Clemson
The Eagles signed a wide receiver out of Clemson. That sounds cool. The Tigers have put a lot of good wide receivers in the NFL.
He appeared in 39 games that spanned a four-year span. During that time, he stacked 66 receptions, 1,287 receiving yards, and six receiving touchdowns. Can he earn a spot on the initial 53-man roster? That remains to be seen. Grade: C
Jadon Haselwood, wide receiver, Arkansas
This six-foot-three, 202-pound target is already familiar with Jalen Hurts as they were teammates at Oklahoma in 2019. He’d make a nice target on third down and in the red zone with his size, but we have explored that theory before.
Maybe Jadon Haselwood can make our dreams come true in that regard. He notched 121 receptions, 1,438 yards, and ten trips to the end zone during 37 games over four seasons. Grade: B+ trending towards an A-
Brady Russell, tight end, Colorado
Might bloodlines play a role here? Brady Russell’s uncle is Eagles senior personnel executive Matt Russell. Don’t tell him that’s the only reason he’s here though.
At Colorado, he collected 799 receiving yards and three touchdowns during a 36-game span that lasted for five NCAA football seasons, and he did much of that with oft-times less-than-elite production from the Buffloes’ quarterback position. Grade: C
Eli Ricks, cornerback, Alabama Crimson Tide
Eli Ricks spent time at two of the SEC’s historic programs, Alabama and, before that, LSU. He earned Second-Team All-SEC honors in 2020. Grade: A-
Mekhi Garner, cornerback, LSU
Philly has added another cornerback prospect from the mighty SEC. We’d like to see one or two of these guys work out. Standing at six-foot-two, you aren’t going to win a ton of jump balls versus this young man though.
At 212 pounds, you aren’t going to rough him up either. He spent his first three NCAA football seasons at Louisiana before collecting 43 tackles with the Bayou Bengals in 2022. He isn’t much of a ballhawk. He hasn’t registered an interception since 2020. Grade: B-
Ben VanSumeren, linebacker, Michigan State
This one will make Ike Reese happy. After spending two seasons in Ann Arbor with the Michigan Wolverines, he spent his final two seasons with Ike’s Michigan State Spartans. For one reason or another, he has never played a full season though. He has 101 tackles and two sacks on his 26-game collegiate resume. Grade: C-
The Eagles have reportedly also invited a handful of young hopefuls to their rookie minicamp for a tryout.
- TJ Cole, running back, Ouachita Baptist
- Deshaun White, running back, Oklahoma
- Toa Tuau, running back, Nebraska
- Jasir Cox, safety, West Virginia
- Xavier Bell, defensive back, Portland State
- Sammis Reyes, veteran tight end (Washington, Chicago)
Update (May 5th) Eagles officially announce the signing of nine UDFAs
Speculation is one thing. Official press releases are another. On the first day of another rookie minicamp, the Philadelphia Eagles announced the signing of nine undrafted free agents.
We've signed 9 undrafted free agents. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/n0MwzVxLRF
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) May 5, 2023
Bookmark this one. Check back for updates. We’ll keep you updated as Philly adds players to their roster.
