Did the Eagles outsmart the league during round 1 of the NFL Draft?

Howie Roseman, take a bow. Many draft analysts and fans expected the Philadelphia Eagles to take just one of their two first-round selections to start the 2023 NFL Draft. No one could have thought that they would just take two dominant top players in the class.

That’s exactly what happened.

First, the Eagles sent a bucket of baseballs to the Chicago Bears for the rights to draft Jalen Carter. Carter was considered the most talented defensive player in the draft and is a cheaper/better option than Javon Hargrave. With his Georgia Bulldog roots, the off-the-field concerns just weren’t too concerning for a team that bet on their culture to make the most out of the situation.

Speaking of Georgia, the Eagles weren’t done addressing their defense on night one and one of the best edge rushers ended up falling right into their lap.

One of the biggest surprises from Thursday night was that former Bulldog edge rusher Nolan Smith fell deep into the later picks in the first round. Roseman and the Eagles weren’t going to let him pass 30 though.

With Smith and Carter now on the roster, they join Nakobe Dean and Jordan Davis as the latest Georgia Bulldogs to join the Eagles and are expected to make major impacts in 2023.

Eagles in a league of their own?

Throughout the draft on Thursday, unlike several teams, the Eagles remained patient and focused on getting the best available players when they were there. In the end, they gave up very few assets to gain two of the most dominant defensive players in college football last season.

Howie Roseman has been well-established as one of the best general managers in the NFL, but his outclass of the rest of the league on Thursday might have just put him in Canton, Ohio.

AP Photo/Ashley Landis