Georgia’s Nakobe Dean, Jordan Davis can transform Eagles’ defense

PHILADELPHIA — For all of the hours spent poring over film, conducting interviews and scouring the country for unearthed prospects and information leading up to the NFL draft, the Philadelphia Eagles have kept things pretty simple over the past couple of years when on the clock, especially on Day 1 and Day 2.

They selected receiver DeVonta Smith and offensive lineman Landon Dickerson from the national champion Alabama Crimson Tide with their first two picks last year. This time around, they homed in on the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs and took two players from their dominant defense in defensive tackle Jordan Davis (13th overall) and linebacker Nakobe Dean (83rd overall).

“I think experience is a great teacher. Sometimes, it’s not that hard. Great players, great school, high recruits, play at the highest level, it kind of works,” said general manager Howie Roseman.

“These guys know what it takes, and I think that the NFL season, it’s a roller-coaster ride, it’s the ups and downs, and when you have guys that when you’re down are going to help bring you back up, and those guys that are champions know what happens when adversity hits and how to raise the level of everyone, that’s what team is all about. … So, yeah, it’s intentional. It’s intentional to get winners.”

“That was the nerve-wracking part about it, the whole thing — you know, listening to things that are not true, and it’s costing me a lot of money,” Dean said. “And just seeing my mama’s face, and for me falling and to hear things like that, that was just the biggest thing. But at the end of the day, I’m blessed. I feel like I got picked by a great organization, and I’m ready to work.”

The Eagles’ brass could not hide their excitement in the moments after landing Dean. Sirianni even urged the gathered media to show more energy as he walked into the auditorium at the NovaCare practice facility, emphatically asking, “Do you know who we just picked?”

“We are looking for high-character guys. We are looking for guys that love football. We are looking for guys that are tough. We are looking for guys that have high football IQ. And [we are looking for guys that are] competitive, that’s the last one. He checks every one of those boxes,” Sirianni said. “He’s a leader on the field for Georgia. His football IQ is so high. His instincts are so high.”

The Eagles haven’t had an inside linebacker make the Pro Bowl since Jeremiah Trotter in 2005. Dean will be looking to change that. More pressing, he’ll try to provide a much-needed lift to a linebacking corps that struggled at times last season, including in the passing game. Per ESPN Stats & Info, Philadelphia’s defense allowed a 77% completion percentage and 14 pass TDs on tight end targets last season, both the highest in the league.

Both players still have things to prove. Davis has to demonstrate he’s more than just a two-down lineman after being on the field for 38% of Georgia’s defensive snaps in 2021, and Dean has to show that questions about his health and size (5-foot-11, 229 pounds) are misguided.

It’s hardly time to pop the champagne and call these picks a slam dunk. But the odds appear to be greater in the Eagles’ favor given what Dean and Davis have already done at the highest level of college football.

“[Personnel evaluators] can basically spend their whole fall down there, it’s like one-stop shopping down there,” Roseman said of Georgia. “You go to practice, you go to a game, you go visit that facility, and you’re just going, ‘Shoot, I’ll draft this whole team.’

“It’s a great credit to their program and what they have done.”