Get to know the Eagles’ lone undrafted rookie on the 53-man roster: Cornerback Eli Ricks

Following his stellar performance throughout training camp, undrafted rookie cornerback Eli Ricks made the Eagles’ initial 53-man roster Tuesday evening.

The 6-foot-2, 188-pound Ricks, who turns 22 next month, played last season for Alabama after two seasons with Louisiana State.

He flashed throughout joint practices and all three preseason exhibitions, logging five tackles and five passes defensed, while allowing a 39.1 opponent passer rating. He recorded a pick-six in the preseason opener, when he intercepted Ravens quarterback Anthony Brown and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown in his NFL debut.

Ricks joins a cornerback room featuring veterans Darius Slay, James Bradberry, and Avonte Maddox, second-year players Josh Jobe and Mario Goodrich, and fellow rookie Kelee Ringo. While Ricks impressed throughout the summer, his chances of making the roster also improved after third-year cornerback Zech McPhearson tore his Achilles tendon in the second preseason game.

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Jobe and Goodrich also went undrafted before sticking with the Eagles.

“Obviously, you talk about his pedigree,” general manager Howie Roseman said of Ricks, who grew up in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and attended IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. “He was the No. 1 corner coming out of high school, and going to LSU. He didn’t have the [best] last [collegiate] season that he wanted to. He was a guy that we spent a lot of time on during the draft process. He came in with an opportunity.

“I think what we saw was a long, instinctive player with good athleticism and ball skills. Those guys are hard to find. His work ethic, his character factor was really high. That’s a great success story for him. He was a guy who thought he’d be a really high pick going into the year. He came in with the right attitude and we called him, and told him he was on the team.

“Like we tell all of these young players, there’s no scholarships in the NFL for any of us. So he’s got to keep working, keep improving, and we’ll keep judging. We evaluate every day.”

The Eagles enter the 2023 season with eight rookies, including all seven draft picks.

“I’m ready for the moment,” Ricks told The Inquirer at the conclusion of the preseason. “I’m ready for if or when my name is called to the 53. That’s what I tried to prove every day. That was my main focus. Trying to show why I should be here, why I belong here, and how much I can help this team.”

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Historically, the Eagles have done a fine job at identifying talent through undrafted free agency. Since 2016, 14 undrafted rookies have made the team’s 53-man roster at cutdown day.

“I don’t know that there’s a trick [to identifying undrafted cornerbacks],” Roseman said. “It’s a great credit to our scouts for bringing those guys to our attention. I think it’s a great credit to those guys for how hard they work and a great credit to our coaching staff for developing those guys. We talk all the time from the day they come into our building, every day we’re talking about developing.

“That takes everyone in the building to join in on that. Great credit to our defensive backs coaches led by D.K. [McDonald].”