Eagles reload defense with Georgia standouts Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith

The Philadelphia Eagles had best pass rush in the NFL last season by a wide margin. Their 70 sacks were one of the highest totals in NFL history. Their defense ranked second overall. It was a big reason why they dominated their way to the NFC championship.

And now, the rich have gotten richer — a lot richer, in fact.

The Eagles ended up with two of the best pass rushers in the draft, and a player that many NFL scouts and personnel thought was the best defensive player overall — and they barely had to break a sweat to get either one of them. First, they took Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter with the ninth overall pick, after they gave up just a 2024 fourth-round pick to move up one spot for him.

And then they just sat and waited as Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith — a player they would have considered at 10 — fell all the way to them at pick No. 30.

It was an absolutely absurd first-round haul for a team of their caliber, and it insured their defensive line is going to cause nightmares for other NFL teams for years.

There’s no doubt this was an A-plus first day for Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, but he didn’t actually have to do much on Thursday to make it all happen. The Eagles desperately wanted the 6-foot-3, 314-pound Carter, according to a league source, and had spent the last few days trying to arrange trades up from 10 to get him, if he started to slide. The source said they talked to the Seahawks at 5 and the Falcons at 8. But when they couldn’t strike deals with them, they eventually settled on their trade with the Chicago Bears at 9.

Roseman said he didn’t know if the Bears were going to take Carter, or if any other team would try to trade up for him. But he knew he didn’t want to take that chance.

“We talked about wanting to come out with an impact player,” Roseman said. “We feel Jalen can be an impact player.”

Even better, he’s an impact player at a position of need for Philadelphia. The Eagles’ biggest offseason loss was defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who had 11 sacks last year but signed with the San Francisco 49ers. That left the Eagles with 32-year-old Fletcher Cox and Jordan Davis, the other Georgia defensive tackle they traded up to take in the first round last year.

That’s still pretty good. But adding Carter to that mix should send shivers down the spines of NFC quarterbacks. He was the total package at Georgia — a strong run-stopper and an incredibly disruptive pass rusher. Some NFL scouts said he was the best player on the Georgia defense a year ago, too — back when the Eagles were scouting Davis.

And Carter, who once was thought to be in contention to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, will arrive in Philadelphia with a chip on his shoulder: “My general expectations were whoever drafts me is going to get the best player in the draft.”

He might be right. Of course, there’s a reason a player like him slipped all the way to 9. Look no further than his involvement in a deadly car wreck back in January, which led to him being charged with racing and reckless driving — two misdemeanors in Georgia. He was reportedly caught lying to police about his involvement in that crash. He also didn’t perform well at his Pro Day, and admitted he wasn’t in peak condition. And according to some NFL sources, there are other questions about his character and maturity as well.

But Roseman and the Eagles felt he was more than worth the risk.

“We understand there was a reason he was available at 9,” Roseman said. “I think everyone will tell you he’s one of the most talented players in the draft. He’s one of the most talented players to come out of college in quite a long time.”

The Eagles firmly believe that they are perfectly suited to handle players with issues, thanks to a veteran-laden team with a near-championship pedigree. They were able to bring their entire “Core Four” back this offseason, including veteran defenders Cox and Brandon Graham. Those are two strong characters for Carter to learn from. And there are others on defense too, like corners James Bradberry and Darius Slay.

“We have good people and we have a good locker room,” Roseman said. “They embrace the opportunity to rally around young players and to show them the way.”

Smith’s slide was more of a mystery, and doesn’t seem to have anything to do with character issues. Some scouts had concerns about his size (6-2, 238), but he’s almost exactly the same size as Haason Reddick (6-1, 240) who had 16 sacks for the Eagles last season. Smith did suffer a torn pectoral muscle in early November, but by all accounts he’s healthy. He also had 12 ½ sacks in his four years in Georgia, and at the combine he ran a 4.39 in the 40.

But if other teams had concerns, the Eagles didn’t. They love the player and felt well-positioned to absorb any risk. And now, as a result, they’ve got Smith rotating with Reddick and Brandon Graham, while Carter will rotate with Cox and Davis in the middle.

If that’s not the best defensive front in football, it’s got to be in the top two or three.

And that’s happened because Roseman is unafraid. He was unafraid a year ago when he did some draft-day maneuvering with the New Orleans Saints that left him with the 10th overall pick in this draft. He was unafraid of any of the character concerns about Carter or about whatever the issues were with Smith. He saw talented players that could be added to a veteran team and thrive in the culture and system they’ve created.

So Roseman took them. Because that’s what good GMs do. They take advantage of opportunities. And now, Roseman’s Eagles are right back in a position to dominate again. They will return almost every piece of the NFL’s No. 3 offense, and now they’ve plugged their biggest hole on defense too and somehow made a great pass rush even better.

Their future is suddenly even brighter. The Eagles are starting to look like a team that will be a Super Bowl contender for years.

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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