PHILADELPHIA − The Eagles added to their Georgia stockpile of draft picks by trading up into the start of the fourth round to select cornerback Kelee Ringo.
The Eagles came into Saturday without a pick in either Round 4 or Round 5. But with Ringo still available, the Eagles made a trade with the Houston Texans, giving up a third-round pick in 2024 in order to get the third pick in the fourth round, No. 105 overall.
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The Eagles weren’t done dealing on Saturday. Less than an hour later, they traded for Lions running back D’Andre Swift, switching spots with Detroit in Round 7, going from No. 219 overall to No. 249. The Eagles are also giving up a fourth-round pick in 2025.
The Eagles then traded with the Texans, getting Houston’s sixth-round pick at No. 191 and giving up two of their three seventh-round picks at No. 230 and No. 248. The Eagles also had a sixth-round pick at No. 188, which they used on Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee.
The Eagles then traded that No. 191 pick to Tampa Bay for a fifth-round pick in 2024. Clearly, the Eagles got the player they wanted, then traded out of the round. McKee would seem like the anti-Jalen Hurts. He’s 6-foot-6, 231 pounds and isn’t considered very agile. Still, McKee threw for 2,947 yards and 13 TDs against 8 interceptions. The Eagles also have Ian Book on the roster.
Swift, the Lions’ second-round pick in 2020, became expendable when Detroit drafted Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round Thursday night. Swift, who has never rushed for more than 617 yards in a season, although he did average 5.5 yards per carry last season, will fit in a rotation with Rashaad Penny, Kenny Gainwell, Boston Scott and Trey Sermon.
Ringo is the fifth Georgia player taken by the Eagles in the last two drafts, all on defense. They took Bulldogs defensive lineman Jalen Carter (No. 9) and Nolan Smith (No. 30) in the first round. Last year, they took defensive tackle Jordan Davis in the first round and linebacker Nakobe Dean in the third.
Swift also went to Georgia and was teammates with the other five Eagles in Athens.
Ringo, meanwhile, was considered by many draft analysts as a second-round pick. Ringo has the size and speed at 6-foot-2, 207 pounds to play on the outside. Ringo ran a 4.37 at the NFL combine. Ringo is in a good situation learning behind veterans Darius Slay and James Bradberry, with Greedy Williams as the top backup.
That’s something Eagles general manager Howie Roseman mentioned when asked on ESPN on Saturday afternoon about the 20-year-old Ringo.
“I think a lot of times you go overnight and you sit there and you look at who’s standing out on your board, and Kelee stood out for us,” Roseman said. “He’s in a situation here where we have phenomenal outside corners, starting with Slay and James Bradberry … He doesn’t have to come in and be Superman. He can come in and learn, kind of bide his time and work on his skill set.”
Ringo had seven pass breakups last season. He also had the game-sealing pick-six interception in the 2021-22 national title game win over Alabama.
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Ringo said he’s looking forward to learning from Slay and Bradberry.
“I’m very familiar with those two guys, guys who definitely study the game, who are one foot in front of the offensive coordinator and the quarterback in their game,” he said. “That makes it a lot easier for them to make plays, (be) overall ballhawks and just great DBs overall. I have a lot of respect for those guys.”
The Eagles traded three picks in 2024 and one in 2025. But the Eagles are supposed to have as many as 12 picks next year, including two in the second round, plus as many as four compensatory picks for losing free agents this spring.
The Eagles came into the final day of this draft Saturday with four picks, a sixth-rounder at No. 188 followed by three seventh-rounders at Nos. 219, 230 and 248. The Eagles acquired the sixth-round pick and seventh (No. 230) when they traded out of the second round Friday night, moving back three spots to No. 65 in the third round to take Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Steen.
They then traded two of those seventh rounders to get another sixth rounder, which they then traded for another pick next spring.
In all, the Eagles gave Arizona a fifth-round pick when they exchanged third-round picks just before the draft started Thursday night. They also gave the Bears a fourth-round pick when they moved up one spot to No. 9 in order to select Carter.
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Now they have Ringo, adding to the secondary after taking Illinois safety Sydney Brown in the third round (No. 66) Friday night, and they have Swift after not getting running backs in the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday.
Bijan Robinson and Gibbs went in the first round, and Zach Charbonnet was among those going in the second round.
“We didn’t go into the draft feeling like this was a position we had to have,” Roseman said about running back. “But we felt like this player was somebody who really adds to our culture and adds to our team
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
