Eagles influx of Georgia players powering elite defense to Super Bowl 2025

It wasn’t as if the Eagles’ defense needed an overhaul.They had a more-than-serviceable unit with a core in place in 2021 under then-defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.

There were holdovers — and anchors — left from the 2017 version that won the Super Bowl in Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox, too.But then the Bulldogs arrived.In the 2022 and 2023 drafts, the Eagles selected five Georgia defenders who’d contributed to the program’s consecutive national championships.First, Philadelphia executive vice president and general manager Howie Roseman took defensive tackle Jordan Davis (No.

13 overall) and linebacker Nakobe Dean (No.83 overall) in 2022.

One year later, they were joined by defensive tackle Jalen Carter (No.9 overall), linebacker Nolan Smith (No.

30 overall) and cornerback Kelee Ringo (No.105 overall).

And in their second professional season together, the quintet has served as contributors — with varying roles — on a defense that allowed the fewest yards per game and the second-fewest points per game this season.When the Eagles face the Chiefs in the Super Bowl on Feb.9, they’ll have six former Bulldogs on their defensive depth chart; Dean won’t play after tearing his patellar tendon.

The sixth — Lewis Cine — was just signed off the Bills’ practice squad on Jan.8 and hasn’t played a snap.

But there are more than just Georgia footprints on this Eagles defense.At this point, Philadelphia has started to become an extension of head coach Kirby Smart’s program and defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann’s unit.“You don’t have to go through the stages of getting to know each other and earning each others’ trust,” Schumann told The Post.

“There’s an innate trust there, and when you have that, it’s easier to play well together.And I think that’s contagious.”Beyond being the unit that allowed just 10.2 points per game and helped the Bulldogs win their first national title since 1980, Georgia’s defense in 2021 ...