Eagles Take Proactive Route to Get Jordan Davis
PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles' interest in Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis wasn’t exactly a secret around the NFL, something the athletic big man himself admitted back in March when he was in Atlantic City to accept Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation's top defensive player.
Getting Davis at No. 15 was going to be the problem for Philadelphia, however. So, GM Howie Roseman began an eventful night by being proactive, moving ahead of Baltimore at No. 14 by sending picks 15, 124, 162, and 166 to Houston for No. 13 and the opportunity to select Davis.
“It was extremely unreal, just getting the call,” Davis said from Las Vegas after being selected by Philadelphia. “Thirty seconds earlier you heard [the Eagles] moved up and then you get the phone call, you know that they really wanted you.
"It was crazy getting Howie on the phone and I was like ‘man, this is a dream come true,' but I knew the Eagles were interested in me.”
A four-year starter on college football’s best defense, the 6-foot-6, 341-pound Davis is an athletic marvel, running a 4.78 40-yard dash with a vertical jump of 32 inches.
With the Eagles, Davis is expected to give Jonathan Gannon the zero/one technique that the defensive coordinator has been coveting in order to play veteran defensive tackles Fletcher Cox and Javin Hargrave in roles they are more comfortable with.
Davis is particularly looking forward to getting to work with Cox, a six-time Pro-Bowl selection.
“He put in a lot of work to get where he is now," Davis said of Cox. "If he can do it, I feel like I can do it and just soak in all the information, soak in all the teaching he’s gonna give me."
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Davis anchored Georgia's impressive run defense last season while also showing the ability to push the pocket at times. The one concern with the North Carolina native is conditioning because he wasn't asked to play a high percentage of snaps due to the Bulldogs’ depth.
That part of things will have to change at the NFL level but Davis certainly has the traits to be more than a two-down player as a professional.
“Being a run defender is what my bread and butter is,” Davis admitted. “That was the first thing I learned at the University of Georgia so being a run defender, being stout in the middle. I can get off [blocks], be an athlete, make a play.
"That playmaking ability, being stout in the middle. Being selfless, not selfish. It takes a lot of selflessnesses to take two defenders so your linebackers can run free or your safety can come down, cracking the b-gap.”
Through what was a 15-game college season with Georgia’s run to the national championship in 2021-22, Davis finished with 32 total tackles, 5.5 for a loss, and two sacks.
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
