Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman reacts to selecting Nolan Smith, Georgia teammates
The Philadelphia Eagles’ love affair with the Georgia Bulldogs continued in the 2023 Draft. After selecting Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Eagles picked up the highest-rated player in this year’s class, former Bulldogs defensive tackle Jalen Carter, ninth overall. And with their second pick in the first round, Philadelphia took another Georgia defensive star in EDGE Nolan Smith.
Despite being a graduate of the University of Florida, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman can’t get enough of the talent being produced in the Bulldogs program. And that led to this hilarious NSFW exchange between the Philadelphia GM and Smith
“I’m a Florida Gator. Do you know how much this hurts my soul to take all these f*kn Georgia Bulldogs,” asked Roseman.
“Hell yeah. You wanna win though; you wanna win,” replied Smith.
If Roseman does want to win, drafting players off the Georgia defense is a great place to start. The Bulldogs’ defense has dominated the last two college football seasons en route to the program winning back-to-back national championships.
With the level of success Davis, Dean, Carter, Smith, and their fourth-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft cornerback Kelee Ringo have enjoyed at Georgia, it’s no wonder why the former Gator keeps picking up talent from their SEC East rival.
More on Nolan Smith
Smith was a blue-chip prospect out of high school, ranked a five-star recruit and the No. 1 overall player in the nation for the 2019 recruiting cycle according to On3’s Industry Rankings. He chose to attend Georgia out of IMG high school in Florida and made an immediate impact, becoming the co-winner of the Bulldogs’ Defensive Newcomer of the Year award in 2019 with 18 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
He’d go on to be a perennial starter and an important leader in Georgia’s back-to-back national championship wins. He ends his collegiate career with 114 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception. Smith started eight games last season for the Bulldogs before suffering from a season-ending torn pectoral muscle against Florida.
But Smith looked more than healthy at the NFL Combine, measuring in at 6-foot-2, 238 pounds and running the fastest 40-yard dash time among all front seven players with a blazing 4.39. He also had the highest vertical jump among all defensive lineman and linebackers at 41.5’’, putting his elite level of athleticism at the position on display for all to see.