The Philadelphia Eagles were one of the big winners in the 2023 NFL Draft. It is hard to find anyone that doesn’t believe they did well last week as they found incredible value with nearly all of their selections and filled multiple holes on their roster.
Right off the bat, general manager Howie Roseman was wheeling and dealing, moving up to nab Georgia defensive tackle, Jalen Carter. He will be a natural replacement for Javon Hargrave, who signed a huge contract in free agency with the San Francisco 49ers.
Philadelphia has found great success targeting Georgia defensive players in recent years, coming away with five in total. Arguably the best value of that bunch was their fourth-round pick this year, cornerback Kelee Ringo.
There were some mock drafts that thought Ringo could slide into the first round given his prototypical size with great length and speed. Sure, there are a few things to work with, but you cannot teach some of the assets that he has.
He went undrafted until Day 3 when the Eagles made a move up to the No. 102 pick in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals to select him. Ringo lands in a great spot as he won’t be relied upon right away as a full-time starter. He will be afforded the time to develop his skill set behind Darius Slay and James Bradberry.
If he does reach his potential, the Eagles have gotten quite possibly the biggest steal of the 2023 NFL Draft. That is because the player comp that Ringo has received is of All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler, Trevor Diggs of the Dallas Cowboys.
Similarly to Diggs, Ringo can struggle at times against double moves as his aggressiveness gets the most out of him. That is an issue some of the best cornerbacks in the league have had as they want to make a play and will sometimes sell out to do so.
That is something that can be worked on, along with his tackling. He will struggle to stay on the field if he records anything close to the 11.3 missed tackle rate that he did with the Bulldogs during the 2022 season.
