Eagles Rookie CB Kelee Ringo: Can He Match Cowboys' Trevon Diggs?
As we recently learned certain members of the Philadelphia Eagles do not like being compared to certain members of the Dallas Cowboys. (It so happens that Philly receiver A.J. Brown is inaccurate in his characterization of Dallas receiver CeeDee Lamb as just a "slot'' guy, but that's a story for another day. Or one you can read right here.)
But the football hatred that exists between the two NFC East rivals, powerful as it is, does not override the concept of "comps,'' that is, comparisons made between prospects and established players as a scouting shortcut to attempt to describe the kid's talents and upside.
And that takes us back to another Philly vs. Cowboys "comp.''
Philly of course found great success in this recent NFL Draft first of all by owning two first-round draft picks; that makes it universally easier to get good "grades'' from the media. GM Howie Roseman and company went a step beyond in again targeting Georgia defensive players, doing it twice in that round with Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith, and then dipping into the Bulldogs well again in the fourth round with cornerback Kelee Ringo.
And there are those who are saying that arguably the best value in this crop of picks is the fourth-rounder Ringo. Some of that mindset comes from a sort of "group-think''; There were so many mock drafts that thought Ringo could find his way into the first round given his uber-prototypical size (6-2) and with his great length and speed. ... and so he became a player that even the layman had "heard of.''
And then he goes undrafted until Day 3? And then Howie - who by now every layman has also "heard of'' - engineered a little trade for the Eagles to make a move up to the No. 102 pick in a trade with the Cardinals to select him?
Well, there must be something there, right? If he's anything like Trevon Diggs? The Eagles will have gotten one of the biggest steals of the 2023 NFL Draft. That is the player comp that Ringo has been receiving ... mostly because of the length and the ball skills ... and hey, all Diggs is is an All-Pro and a two-time Pro Bowler and the NFL's best interception ballhawk.
Can Diggs be fooled because of his aggression? Yes, and maybe Ringo will have to battle that, too. Is Diggs a standout tackler? He is not, and Ringo will want to use his big frame to be better in that area as a pro.
But for now? Ringo gets to learn behind Darius Slay and James Bradberry, and even though it might rankle an Eagles fan just a bit, maybe gets to also study Trevon Diggs as a way to reach his Philly potential.
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