The Eagles Could Have Georgia on Their Mind Again with DB Kelee Ringo

The Bulldogs' speedster could be a fit for the Eagles zone-based defense

The Eagles spent plenty of time watching Georgia film last year en route to selecting Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean in the 2022 draft. The defending two-time national champs have plenty of talent this time around as well, and one of the Bulldogs players looks like a perfect fit for Philadelphia: rangy defensive back Kelee Ringo.

The issue is where would the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Ringo fits both in the draft and on the football field.

Taking him at No. 10 would be a reach and if Howie Roseman tries to wait until 30, it’s likely that Ringo will be gone especially after people see him run on Friday afternoon.

“Kelee is going to be - I don't want to say polarizing. I just think he is going to fit certain teams. He is not going to necessarily fit others,” NFL Network lead draft analyst and former Eagles scout Daniel Jeremiah said. “I think there's a real chance he goes in the first round, especially when he puts on a show when he runs. … He is going to be 6-foot-2, 200 pounds.

“He is going to fly.”

Roseman is not averse to shuffling the deck to make sure the valuation matches up with any potential pick.

Because of Ringo’s size and the shift of the modern NFL game, some will project him back to safety but Ringo clearly views himself as an outside cornerback, something the Eagles will likely be in the market for as a potential replacement for pending free agent James Bradberry.

What is known at this point is that the Eagles are doing their due diligence on Ringo and used one of their official meetings at the combine on him.

A Seattle-area native, Ringo has struck up a relationship with five-time All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman, the former Seahawks star who is one of the best CBs of the modern generation.

“It's been great to learn from the legend himself,” Ringo said at the NFL Scouting Combine when asked about his relationship with Sherman. “From technique-wise to the mental game, being able to see concepts. It definitely helped me grow as a man as well as just continually learning the game from a definitely greater point of view.”

A cerebral player, Sherman has stressed to Ringo how important the mental aspect of the game is when it comes to the NFL, a league where everyone playing corner has tremendous physical gifts.

And Ringo has taken notice when asked how the former Seahawks star has helped.

“How smart he is. How he slows the game down,” Ringo said. “Of course. I would definitely say that he makes things look a lot easier with definitely how smart he is specifically on seeing what's going to happen to him specifically what an offensive coordinator wants to be able to do to him in the game.”

Ringo as a whole focuses on larger CBs when it comes to emulating those who’ve come before him, mentioning Patrick Peterson, Jalen Ramsey, and Hall of Famer Darelle Revis.

A speedster with a track background, Ringo was sure to emphasize that football comes first.

“My first love continuously was football,” he said. “I will definitely say the track definitely helped me throughout the football aspect, but man just being able to focus on your technique and being able to translate your speed and know when to use it specifically and how to use it throughout your breaks or also running downfield vertically.”

Jeremiah wants to see Ringo’s ability to change directions quickly to go along with the stopwatch speed.

“I think I'm curious to see him in some of the change-of-direction stuff. He is a little rigid. He is a little bit tight,” Jeremiah assessed. “I think if you are a Cover-3 team, you are going to love him. He is going to fit beautifully with that, and he is physical and tough. He can find and play the ball. He just has to be in phase to be able to find and play it.”

Under new defensive coordinator Sean Desai, the Eagles are expected to stay as a predominantly zone-coverage defense and while far more varied than a default Cover-3 team, Ringo should fit what Philadelphia wants.

Over the past two years, the Eagles have made it a policy to mine winning programs, especially at the top of the draft. In 2021 before Davis and Dean, it was Alabama’s DeVonta Smith and Landon Dickerson, who’ve both developed into Pro Bowl-level players early in their careers.

The trend could continue in April.

“I feel like the standard at the University of Georgia is like no other,” Ringo said. “... No matter where I go, I definitely have the winner type mindset man, and being able to do my job and I feel like if I'm able to do that, then I feel like I'll definitely able to get my team, the best foot forward and hopefully winning.”

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-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 "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen