Eagles-Georgia draft history, explained: Revisiting past Bulldogs selected by Super Bowl champions in recent drafts

David Suggs

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Eagles-Georgia draft history, explained: Revisiting past Bulldogs selected by Super Bowl champions in recent drafts image

The Eagles have constructed a harrowing roster in recent seasons, and Georgia is a major reason why.

The SEC school is no minnow in the world of college football. Kirby Smart's bunch is a bonafide powerhouse. They know it, too, surging up the college football totem pole more times than most since Smart's arrival on campus in 2016.

With two national titles, a handful of college football playoff appearances and dozens of players drafted, Georgia offers quite the factory line for NFL teams hoping to bring through refined talents. And yet, no organization has employed Bulldogs to greater success than Philadelphia, whose penchant for taking UGA prospects paid off handsomely en route to a Super Bowl win in 2024.

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With that, here's what you need to know about the Eagles' history of drafting Georgia players, from its early origins to its more recent contours.

Eagles-Georgia draft history, explained

The Eagles have fostered quite the relationship with Georgia as of late. Five ex-Bulldogs featured on Philadelphia's Super Bowl 59-winning roster in 2024, including All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter and star outside linebacker/EDGE Nolan Smith Jr.

Georgia's 2021 and 2022 rosters housed a treasure trove of gifted players, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. It's little surprise that Kirby Smart's unit has been so foundational to Sirianni's roster. In addition to Carter and Smith, Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean also emerged as starters on the 2024 Eagles. In fact, Carter, Smith, Davis, Dean and Kelee Ringo combined for 58 starts between them. All five were a part of the Bulldogs' national championship side. Was it any surprise that Philadelphia's defense surrendered just 17.8 points per game, the second-best mark in the NFL?

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The Eagles aren't necessarily new to taking Georgia players in the draft. In fact, they've selected 26 Bulldogs since 1943, starting with Lamar "Racehorse" Davis, a former national champion who never actually played for the team.

Carter, Smith and the rest of Philly's current Georgia-based crew are merely a part of the two institutions' intertwining history with one another, part of a billowing quilt of collaborations between the duo. From Bobby Walston to Reggie Brown, the Eagles have long offered a platform for Bulldogs greats past and present.

Carter, Smith, Dean, Davis and Ringo are merely the latest remnants of that relationship. Given Georgia's reputation for developing big-league talent, they won't be the last, either.

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Eagles-Georgia draft pick history

Philadelphia has selected 26 former Bulldogs in the NFL Draft. Five of those selections came in the 2023 and 2024 drafts. Carter, selected ninth overall in 2024, represents the highest-drafted Georgia alum.

Here's a closer look at the Eagles' history of selecting Bulldogs players in the NFL Draft.

Via Pro Football Reference.

YearPlayerPositionRoundPick
1943Lamar DavisEnd212
1946Sam BaileyEnd27257
1951Bobby WalstonEnd14166
1952Tony MoroccoRunning Back29341
1954Sam MrvosGuard18213
1958Theron SappFullback10112
 Mike MeatheringhamTackle16184
1960Larry LancasterTackle16189
1962Pete CaseGuard227
1964Mickey BabbEnd558
1965Ray RissmillerTackle220
1969Kent LawrenceWide Receiver9211
1972Tom NashTackle17430
1974Jim CagleDefensive Tackle5108
1990Ben SmithDefensive Back122
1994Bernard WilliamsTackle114
1996Whit MarshallLinebacker5147
2005Reggie BrownWide Receiver235
2006Max Jean-GillesGuard499
2010Jeff OwensDefensive Tackle7243
2012Brandon BoykinDefensive Back4123
2022Jordan DavisDefensive Tackle113
 Nakobe DeanLinebacker383
2023Jalen CarterDefensive Tackle19
 Nolan SmithOutside Linebacker130
 Kelee RingoDefensive Back4105

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David Suggs

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.