It’s quite funny that Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who was a Florida Gator himself, has built a little bit of a reputation of drafting and signing players who went to the University of Georgia. He’s drafted plenty of players from Georgia in recent memory and quite frankly, who could blame him?
Georgia has been very successful and their program has produced some serious NFL talent. Most notably, the Eagles drafted defensive linemen Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter in back-to-back drafts. Those moves have worked out very well for Roseman.
In addition to Davis and Carter, Roseman has also drafted cornerback Kelee Ringo, Nakobe Dean and Nolan Smith. This offseason, the Eagles signed edge rusher Azeez Ojulari from the New York Giants, who was also a Georgia Bulldog. Long story short, Roseman has shown that he’s not afraid to draft players from a school that would be considered a rival to him.
Going into this year’s NFL Draft, there will once again be plenty of Georgia players who are entering the draft that the Eagles could have a shot at drafting. With the Eagles being all the way down at the bottom of the first round at No. 32, there are Georgia players like Jalen Walker and Mykel Williams that might just be out of their range. However, we have seen players drop down the board every year.
With that being said, which Georgia Bulldogs make the most sense for the Eagles to draft this year?
Georgia Bulldogs players that make the most sense for Eagles to draft
S Malaki Starks
A hard-hitting safety who can also take on the deep ball down field, Malaki Starks is going to be a steal for any team that drafts him. So, that makes him the perfect fit for the Eagles then, right?
He averaged two interceptions per year in college and recorded 198 total tackles in his career. He attacks the ball well and putting him in the same secondary as Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean would be a dangerously young secondary for years to come that teams will have major trouble against.
RB Trevor Etienne
The younger brother of Jaguars running back Travis Etienne, who transferred to Georgia from Florida and earned Third-Team All-SEC honors, Trevor Etienne has the talent to be a complementary back in this league. He can be a three-down back but his biggest strength is catching passes out of the backfield.
The Eagles signed AJ Dillon, as well as extended Saquon Barkley this past offseason. Etienne would be a great day-three addition and could provide competition for training camp in the summer.
OL Tate Ratledge
With the Eagles losing Mekhi Becton to the Chargers in free agency, Tate Ratledge could be a great addition to the offensive line to keep the physicality going. He earned First-Team All-SEC honors the last two seasons and part of the reason why is because of what he can do in the run game.
A dominant run-blocking guard going to a team that is known for an infamous tush push play is a perfect fit for Ratledge.
LB Smael Mondon Jr.
One of the more underrated linebackers in this draft, Smael Mondon Jr. always seemed to find himself attacking the ball. He’s recorded no less than 57 total tackles the last three seasons and he has six sacks the last two seasons. He isn’t afraid to deliver a hit against a blocker to disrupt the run and can be a great tackler to learn from Zach Baun, who signed an extension to stay with the Eagles this offseason.
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