8 Eagles stand out in a rare but unique ranking of the best college-turned-pro teammates
While we can spend a ton of time going back and forth about what makes a successful draft class and what doesn't, we can all agree on one thing. Howie Roseman has been killing it for the Philadelphia Eagles as of late.
Things began with a great blueprint, one he learned from former head coach Andy Reid. It's always wise to build from the trenches, and as often as possible, Philadelphia selects an offensive or defensive lineman early.
There are exceptions. Dire needs must also be addressed, and recently, we've seen the first-round selections of DeVonta Smith and Quinyon Mitchell, but no one hates a team that wins in the trenches. No one hates prospects who dominated the best conferences at the collegiate level.
There were drafts when Philadelphia outsmarted itself. Those days are over. Roseman learned something. It doesn't hurt to raid an elite program like the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Eight current members of the Eagles' roster played college ball in Tuscaloosa: Jalen Hurts, Landon Dickerson, DeVonta Smith, Tyler Steen, Jihaad Campbell, Eli Ricks, Byron Young, and Cameron Latu. Then, there's that other SEC school. Stop us if you've heard this before, but the Birds have developed quite a pipeline in Athens, Georgia.
A half-dozen Eagles make noise on one of the more unique rankings constructed recently.
Everyone is ranking everything at this time of year: positions of need, the best units on each NFL roster, and so on. Every once in a while, someone takes a unique angle, as Cody Benjamin did for CBS Sports.
He ranked the ten best pairings of teammates who played together at the NCAA and NFL levels. The 'Philly Dawgs' cracked the list, landing at eight. They're ahead of the Justin Fields/Garrett Wilson and Terry McLaurin/Marshon Lattimore combos. How about all of that talent the Ohio State Buckeyes have had come through Columbus? Here's a shoutout to Malcolm Jenkins!
Here's what Benjamin had to say about all of those Georgia Bulldogs on their roster.
"Say hello to half the Eagles defense! Carter may be the one bona fide stud of the group, which fully overlapped with the Bulldogs in 2020, but the relentless Smith could be the next to break out off the edge of the Birds' title-winning front. Dean is coming off an injury but has been a vocal anchor for the linebacker corps. And Ojulari, the newest addition of the Georgia bunch, could be a sneaky sack artist after a mercurial start with the rival New York Giants, afforded a one-year, prove-it deal in free agency."
Don't forget about Lewis Cine, Mr. Benjamin. He was on that roster, too.
Smith is ahead of schedule. He came on at the end of last season and during the Eagles' Super Bowl run, leading all postseason participants in sacks (four) and tackles that resulted in a loss of yardage (also four).
Ranked ahead of Philadelphia's young stars on this list are Jahmyr Gibbs, Terrion Arnold, and Brian Branch (ranked seventh) and Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle, and Minkah Fitzpatrick (sixth). Two members of the 'Crimson Tide', Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith, land second on this list.
Here's what Benjamin stated on that front.
"Hurts finished his college career at Oklahoma, but he spent 2017-2018 alongside Smith in Tuscaloosa, helping bring the wideout up to Alabama speed when he was a true freshman. Since then, the two have been to two Super Bowls and claimed one Lombardi Trophy, bringing a rugged fortitude to the Eagles' all-star offense.
Not included here is fellow Alabama product Landon Dickerson, a meaty leader for Philadelphia's vaunted O-line, who just missed playing with Hurts in college."
No lies were told there. To those who are interested, the rest of the top five is as follows:
That's a nice list. It's great to see the Eagles gaining recognition for the excellent jobs they are doing. The most important thing, however, is that they take care of business on the field this season.
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