LATEST: Grading the 2023 Eagles rookie class

Why does it seem like six months have passed since the Philadelphia Eagles’ Wild Card Round defeat? Why do we still feel such pain? Even if we believed we were close to winning another Super Bowl throughout the offseason, why does it seem like this squad is so far away?

Okay, this pain can’t continue! Where’s the bright side for us? We are aware! We’ll discuss the young men and our aspirations for the future.

Although we can’t quite recall everything, if our recollections are accurate and we were actually using grade-school scales to distribute report cards, we believe the split is as follows:

A – Oustanding
B – Above Average
C – Average
D – Below Average
F- Fail

These are the Eagles’ 2023 rookie class final grades.

To be fair, we didn’t think guys like practice squad members had gotten enough chances to prove their worth to us. We therefore concentrated on the 2024 draft class and a highly skilled former undrafted free agent who worked incredibly hard to make the squad.

Jalen Carter – A

Honestly, this one should go without saying. Jalen Carter has a promising future. That much is clear.

If he hadn’t crashed into a rookie wall with his head first, he would have received a perfect score. That’s alright! He had never played football for so long. Next season, he’ll be more ready for the grind.

Tyler Steen – B

Tyler Steen will have to settle for a reserve role for now, but that’s okay. Teams can never have enough good offensive linemen, and this is a good one. Plus. who knows where we’d be had he not jumped on that fumble in that home game versus the Dallas Cowboys.

Nolan Smith – C

The depth chart and the players Nolan Smith was ahead of doesn’t really matter to us. We’re not talking about special teams here; guys selected in the first round are expected to contribute right away.

Smith will be a fantastic Eagle and all right. Although we sincerely think so, we had hoped for more pop in the first year. Recall… If Jalen Carter hadn’t been available, some would have been pleased if he had been the first Eagles first-round selection.

Sydney Brown – B

Sydney Brown, a third-round pick, deserves praise for surpassing our expectations if we’re going to be harsh with Nolan Smith for his poor performance. Please do not misunderstand us. We knew something was there, but this guy has a chance to be a great Eagle for a very long time if he can improve as a coverage safety and recover from a late-season injury.

Tanner McKee – C

Tanner McKee would never play in a game that determined the team’s win-loss record, but that’s alright. We’re going to evaluate him on a curve because we were mostly pleased with what we saw in the preseason. At least not yet, we don’t feel it’s appropriate to put him in the above average range. Hey, it seems fair enough?

Kelee Ringo – B

The draft grades for Kelee Ringo were disorganized. A star was noticed by some. Some thought he was unready, but when injuries struck and Philly needed the rookie, he wasn’t all that bad—that is, until he committed pass interference, grabbed the facemask of the opposing receiver, and still lost the reception.

With the upcoming season, he is anticipated to be a backup once more. We will keep an eye on him, since he is someone to monitor. This is a place full of reasons to celebrate.

Eli Ricks (UDFA) – C

Eli Ricks is doing alright. He’s not that bad. He is not a member of the elite. Trying to test him in the slot corner role may have been a mistake on the part of Philly. He seems like an outsider. However, one outstanding play in a preseason game does not produce an excellent NFL cornerback.

Philly, keep working with this guy. Though he’s not quite ready for primetime, he has earned that.

Moro Ojomo – Undetermined (for now)

Alright, we do recall Moro Ojomo performing at one time. We simply can’t recall the exact moment or our emotions at the time. To put it plainly, Philly had a lot of defensive tackles, and our sample size is too small to assign a pass or fail rating to the former Texas Longhorns star.