Eagles draft grades roundup: How the experts think the Birds did in Round 1
The Eagles took a pair of Georgia defensive players in the first round — and those in the know seem to think Howie Roseman came away with an impressive haul.
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In case you haven’t heard, the Eagles pulled off quite the haul in the first round of this year’s NFL draft.
First, general manager Howie Roseman traded up one spot to land Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter with the ninth pick, the second year in a row the Birds took a Bulldogs DT in the first round. But they weren’t done picking up players from Georgia, as edge rusher Nolan Smith fell right into the Eagles’ lap at No. 30, and Roseman and Co. pounced on a player some were mocking to the Birds at 10.
» READ MORE: Day 2 preview: Eagles could target offensive line, secondary depth
The night went so well for the Eagles that it had Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons ready to walk off set and left NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah “dumbfounded.”
Welcome to the Howie Roseman Experience.
Obviously, the less they like the picks in Dallas the better, but what about the NFL experts from around the country? How do they grade the Eagles’ first-round haul? Let’s take a look.
Jalen Carter: “The Eagles move up one spot and give up little to get a guy I think is the best player in this draft. Yes, he has some off-field issues, but this is a great spot for him. Howie Roseman wins again.” | Grade: A+
Nolan Smith: “He is a smallish edge player who will have to be used situationally by the Eagles. He has speed and quickness, but he needs to gain weight. With the Eagles, he can be used in that role.” | Grade: B
Jalen Carter: “Howie Roseman, take a bow. By moving up one spot and giving up a 2024 fourth-rounder, the Eagles grabbed one of the best interior defensive tackles in recent memory. The Eagles have the infrastructure to surround Carter and help him reach his potential, and Philadelphia is on track to maintain its defensive dominance.” | Grade: A
Nolan Smith: “This was yet another a steal for the Eagles, who might break the NFL’s sack record next year.” | Grade: A
Jalen Carter: “Jalen Carter is arguably the best player in the 2023 NFL Draft class... Adding him to an Eagles defensive front that already fields Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis, Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, and Brandon Graham, is a disgusting unit to contend with for NFC East offensive coordinators.” | Grade: A+
Nolan Smith: “Smith is an unbelievable athlete on the edge who fits perfectly into the Eagles’ base front as an outside linebacker. He is also a better run defender than he’s given credit for, much like his new teammate, Haasan Reddick, who Smith has been comped to throughout the process. The rich continue to get richer.” | Grade: A+
Jalen Carter: “Here’s what a NFC scout told nj.com about Carter before the draft: ‘He’s legit. The big knock is does he want to play all the time? As far as the legal stuff, don’t buy into him dropping. He’s going to go early.’” | Grade: B+
Jalen Carter: “The Eagles made another shrewd move with Howie Roseman to draft an elite defender from Georgia’s back-to-back national champions. Carter ... will be groomed behind Fletcher Cox to be a quick penetrator who will blow up a lot of plays in the backfield vs. run and pass to complement Davis’ run-stuffing for a long time.” | Grade: A+
Nolan Smith: “...a high-upside freakish pass-rusher to groom behind Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat. Smith will boost their pass rush situationally at first with his great speed and quickness to help compensate for the loss of Javon Hargrave’s production inside.” | Grade: A
Overall: “A more versatile performer than last year’s first-round defensive tackle, Jordan Davis, Carter is a force at 3 technique with excellent get-off and quickness. My enthusiasm for this pick was tempered by concerns about his off-field issues. Getting the speedy Smith to play behind Haason Reddick in the team’s scheme was an easy call at 30, bringing yet another Georgia defender to the City of Brotherly Love.” | Grade: A-
Jalen Carter: “Landing the No. 2 overall player on the PFF big board at Pick 9 is a huge win for the Eagles. Carter played 392 snaps in 2022 and earned a 92.3 PFF grade that led all Power Five interior defenders.” | Grade: Elite
Nolan Smith: “The Eagles land the 13th overall player on the PFF big board with the 30th pick in the draft. ...[Smith] might be undersized at 238 pounds but earned a 90.0 PFF run-defense grade over the past two seasons and is an incredible athlete. | Grade: Elite
Jalen Carter: “Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has built from the trenches out. He did it again Thursday by trading up one spot to select Carter, a tremendous athlete with real question marks off the field. ... The talent is undeniable, but the concerns off the field are significant and many.” | Grade: C
Nolan Smith: “Smith might need time to reach his potential, but he’s explosive off the line of scrimmage. He’ll settle in nicely with Jalen Carter and the rest of the Georgia Bulldogs on the Eagles’ roster.” | Grade: A
Jalen Carter: “Carter is the most physically dominant player in this draft, but he fell to No. 9 overall due to persistent questions about his off-field decision-making. ... The team that gambles on him must have the locker room and support staff to help him mature, or it risks a colossal bust. The Eagles might be better suited to handle this than most... If Carter does commit to his craft, he is a potential franchise cornerstone who should quickly rank among the better interior defensive linemen in the league...” | Grade: B+
Nolan Smith: “Smith personifies that old Mark Twain line: “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog,” which is why I’m confident this Dawg will, yet again, live up to the lofty expectations in the NFL, as well. This Eagles front is terrifying.” | Grade: A
To see how our writers evaluate the two picks, check out our thumbs up/down for Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith.