2023 Philadelphia Eagles Rookie Preview

General manager Howie Roseman has been on a tear in recent years’ drafts. For at least the last two seasons, the longtime Eagles’ GM has put together objectively great classes, with many instant-impact players coming out of the groups. Now, based on pre-draft projections, the Eagles look to have hit on yet another class, although only time will tell how well this bunch performs.

Today, we’ll project the impacts of the three most hyped prospects from the 2023 Philadelphia Eagles draft class. While almost everyone has a clearly defined path to playing time next season, three are likely to make major impacts in their rookie seasons, so now we’ll talk about what those might look like.

2023 Philadelphia Eagles Rookie Preview

Jalen Carter, DT

Considering how much stock Roseman and co. have put into the trenches over the past near decade, it’s surprising that the team went into draft night actually needing to address the defensive tackle position. Javon Hargrave broke out during his three years in Philadelphia as one of the league’s best pass-rushing interior defensive linemen, but after he left for San Francisco during free agency, the team was left with an aging Fletcher Cox and a bevy of unproven talent.

This opened the door for the selection of Jalen Carter, who fell outside of the top five of the draft due to character concerns. The Georgia product was hyped by many as not just a great player but as the best in the entire class, a projection that Roseman couldn’t help passing on even with some off-the-field issues.

Surrounded by a cluster of his college teammates, perhaps there was no better landing spot for Carter. Based on social media content posted by the team, Carter already seems to be fitting in well with his mostly-new teammates, giving many fans hope that the off-field concerns were overblown. If he can stay out of trouble, he is poised for a massive role in 2023.

Rookie Chopped hosted by Jordan[s] Ramsay#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/izcum8asXC

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) July 6, 2023

As was previously stated, Carter has the profile of an elite NFL defense tackle with incredible size, strength, and athleticism, a combination that could see him be a productive player right off the bat. NFL legend Reggie White holds the team record for most sacks during his rookie season with 13, and although he likely won’t reach those numbers, Carter has a chance to put up major stats in year one. Being surrounded by three players who recorded 11 or more sacks in 2022, he has a chance to not only make an impact but could even end the year in Defensive Player of the Year contention.

Nolan Smith, EDGE

Like Carter, Nolan Smith fell further in the first round than many initially predicted, managing to land at 30, where the Eagles quickly selected him. Smith gained a ton of draft hype after an incredible combine, moving him from late first to early second-round projections to as far up as the teens. However, given Smith’s injury history and relative lack of college production, these projections were likely overblown by many fans and media personalities, leading the athletic freak to go a lot later than many thought.

However, also like Carter, Smith couldn’t have asked for a better landing spot. Behind Haason Reddick, a player many compared Smith to in the pre-draft process, he should be able to develop into an incredible edge rusher. His athletic profile is insane, so with a little bit of time to learn, the sky is the limit for the Georgia product.

For this year, don’t expect too much production out of Smith. While he has Reddick-level potential, he is, at best, a rotational piece right now and won’t get any starting reps. He could flourish if he can maximize his pass rush win rate, but for now, expect a bit of a learning curve. In a few seasons from now, though, we may be talking about a Pro Bowl-caliber player.

Sydney Brown, S

While Roseman clearly didn’t shy away from taking the best players on the board, he also did a great job at filling the Eagles’ needs. One of those needs was safety after CJ Gardner-Johnson left for Detroit in free agency, which Howie filled by selecting Illinois’s Sydney Brown in the third round.

Through these three entries, it’s clear that Roseman coveted one primary trait in this draft: athleticism. Brown is an athletic freak, and although only standing at 5 feet 10 inches tall, he makes up for it with his ability to run, jump, and hit. All of these are an upgrade over his predecessor in Gardner-Johnson, making Brown an exciting player, assuming he cracks the starting lineup.

This, of course, is no guarantee, especially if Brown fails to perform during training camp. The Eagles signed former Steelers’ safety Terrell Edmunds earlier in the offseason to fill one of the safety slots and will rely on one of Brown or 2022 UDFA Reed Blankenship to man the other. This position battle is by no means decided, as Blankenship played very well in 2022 during Gardner-Johnson’s injury stint. Not only could it be those two, either, as there have been many links to Cardinals’ safety Budda Baker as a possible trade target for the Eagles. While Brown’s ceiling is high, it’s not guaranteed that he will see the field this year.

However, for this exercise, let’s just say he shows out during camp and earns the starting spot. Given the bevy of talent around him, Brown’s job would be incredibly easy, allowing him to move all over the field and put his athleticism on full display. Who knows what his role will be in newly hired defensive coordinator Sean Desai’s defense? All we know is that the talent is there and that Brown can be a difference-maker early on. Although likely not a Pro Bowl-caliber player, the Eagles will likely have a very solid starter for the foreseeable future.

Other Possible Impact Players

Although unlikely to see the field in his rookie season, Tyler Steen is a player to watch. The third-round pick will primarily play guard for the Eagles, and if he wins a camp battle against second-year Cam Jurgens, he will be a starter. However, given his familiarity with the offensive line, Jurgens likely has the upper hand right now, so don’t expect Steen to see the field just yet.

Kelee Ringo played corner at Georgia but is another name to watch in the battle for the starting safety job. Ringo is a large, athletic freak of a corner but showed time and time again that man coverage was a weakness for him on the outside. Many, myself included, think that he projects better as a pure coverage safety in the NFL, so maybe he ends up finding a niche in the defense there. As of right now, though, there hasn’t been any talk of that.

Moro Ojomo was one of my favorite players in the class and, despite the depth at defensive tackle, should make the final roster for the Eagles. Although likely just a rotational piece for now, Ojomo has the potential to be a very good run-stopper in the league as he’s much better than the round he was selected (seriously, NFL, how are we letting this guy nearly fall out of the draft).

Eli Ricks and Mekhi Garner are two UDFA corners the Eagles were able to acquire, the first of which is incredibly exciting. Ricks was highly touted before transferring to Alabama, but character issues and a lack of production clearly caused teams to take him off their draft boards. However, the talent is clearly there, and if Ricks can get his head on straight, he has all the potential in the world.

As for Garner, he likely projects better as a safety and is probably just a practice squad candidate. However, given his measurables and the fact that the Eagles have kept some surprising defensive backs on the roster before (see Josh Jobe in 2022), maybe there’s a chance.

The Eagles lost both of their 2022 starting linebackers during free agency but will look for Nakobe Dean and Nicholas Morrow to fill the roles. However, the unit clearly lacks depth, leaving the door open for UDFA Ben VanSumeren to crack the final roster. The Michigan State product is an athletic freak but lacks the ability to play in the NFL right now. However, with a year or two of coaching, maybe he can turn into a starting-caliber linebacker. This is definitely a player to watch.

Finally, we have two UDFA receivers in, Joseph Ngata and Jadon Haselwood. Both were five-star recruits out of high school and are talented options to possibly replace Zach Pascal’s role on the team. The Eagles only kept five receivers on the roster in 2022, one of whom was return man, Britain Covey, so there’s a chance the team sticks with a small receiving corps again in 2023 after the signing of Olamide Zaccheaus this offseason. However, if the Eagles do decide to keep an extra guy, both of these players are good options.