The Bulldogs-to-Eagles pipeline is in full swing after Philadelphia drafted five University of Georgia players on the defensive side of the ball over the last two drafts. NFL Insider Jason La Canfora of Audacy’s original podcast “In The Huddle” is enthralled by the group he’s named the “Bulldog Bunch” heading into this season.
“What I’m going to be fascinated to see is with the Eagles, the development of what I’m calling the ‘Bulldog Bunch,’” La Canfora said (21:05 in player above). “You look at their roster now. They’ve got 27 players on defense. Five of them are Georgia Bulldogs in their first or second year. None of them are older than 23 years old.
“You look at their front seven, they’re carrying 16 linemen/linebackers, four of them are the ‘Bulldog Bunch’ and I think getting Davis and Carter together is going to be real impactful.”
The Eagles started eyeing up former Bulldogs in last year’s draft by trading up to select defensive tackle Jordan Davis with the 13th overall pick. They then added linebacker Nakobe Dean in the third round.
They doubled down on that in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Birds traded up once again to select Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter with the 9th overall pick and grabbed outside linebacker Nolan Smith later in the first round. They even added cornerback Kelee Ringo in the fourth round.
With Carter and Davis on the line, Dean will be directing things behind them. The familiarity is there and could give them a step up on the opposition.
“He knows what those two cats in front of him are doing just by an arm movement, a head fake,” La Canfora said. “They know each other as people. They know each other as football players. They know what their tells are. They’ve been trained the same way to see the game the same way. And now you could have five of them on the field at the same time in some packages…
“I think when they put a NASCAR pass-rush package together you’re going to see three of those kids really be in positions to wrap the quarterback, and I think Jalen Carter is going to have a monster season.”
Not only do the Eagles have a young core that can grow together, there is also an already-established leadership group that can show them the ropes.
Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham have been in the trenches for the Eagles for over a decade and can help the young Bulldogs along with some tough love when needed.
“They can dole it out in a way he has to respect and he has to look up to and he can’t just tell them to F off like he might be able to say to a younger coach or a position coach or whatever,” La Canfora said. “I think the guardrails are there.”
All in all, the influx of young talent should be able to help the Eagles remain as one of the NFL’s top teams.
“I think Howie Roseman’s pretty smart and I think this was pretty calculated. They moved up to get Jordan Davis. They moved up to get Jalen Carter,” La Canfora concluded. “If this works, look out. I think that D-line might not miss a beat.”