The Eagles’ adoration for SEC talent reportedly stems from the team’s Director of draft management Phil Bhaya, responsible for the SEC, and Director of player personnel, Alan Wolking, who’s accountable for visiting Georgia annually.
Howie Roseman tells a story of attending a Georgia practice within the past two years. When he returned to Philadelphia, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni wanted to know which of the Bulldogs his general manager liked.
“I went to Georgia last year at practice. I remember coming back. Coach was like, who did you like there. I'm like, I don't know, like the whole defense.”
-Howie Roseman on visiting Georgia last year and Nick Sirianni asking him about all the guys he liked.
📸 Eagles pic.twitter.com/ESGLW67qYL— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) April 30, 2023
Over the last two NFL drafts, Philadelphia has selected five players off the vaunted Georgia defense that hasn’t tasted regular-season defeat in two years. Roseman selected two Bulldogs in the first round this year (defensive tackle Jalen Carter and edge rusher Nolan Smith) and then another (cornerback Kelee Ringo) in the fourth.
Last year, Roseman made trades to land defensive tackle Jordan Davis in the first round and linebacker Nakobe Dean in the third.
The two-year run on talent based out of Athens, Georgia, is the first time one NFL team has taken five defensive players from the same school back-to-back years in the modern NFL draft era (since 1967).
During this year’s draft, Roseman pulled off a blockbuster trade for veteran running back D’Andre Swift, a former Georgia Bulldog and Philadelphia native.
The Eagles are stacked with Alabama talent and have 21 guys total from the SEC.
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