Whether you're a fan or a rival, we all can appreciate the Georgia Football social media team. Few rival that of the Philadelphia Eagles, but Birds and Dawgs fans can certainly agree that the former put in the work during the NFL Draft.
One of our favorite posts came on Saturday after Smael Mondon was taken with the 161st pick during Round 5 of the selection meeting.
Eagles vice president/general manager Howie Roseman once joked with Nolan Smith that, as a Florida University graduate, it broke his heart to have to add so many former UGA stars to the roster. We offer another theory. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Mondon's acquisition brings the tally to eight, and though he has a lot in common with his Dawg brethren, there's one unique trait, he brings to the table
Smael Mondon gives the Eagles something they haven't had yet, a very trustworthy cover linebacker.
Nolan Davis is developing into a nice edge rusher. We'd like to see him play sideline to sideline. Vic Fangio seemingly disagrees.
Go with Vic on that. He has probably forgotten more about football than we'll ever know. If Coach Fangio says Nolan is an edge rusher, doggone it, Smith is an edge rusher.
Philly's Dawgs are a talented bunch. There's one thing we haven't seen acquired in the eight guys Howie has already brought in though, an outside WILL cover linebacker. Mondon can provide that.
He racked 212 tackles (including 18 for a loss), eight sacks, an interception, and five pass breakups. In his draft profile written by Lance Zierlein, he received a grade of 6.31, meaning he'll eventually be a plus starter. Zierlein also notes, "He’s effective on passing downs with good coverage and blitz talent. The run game instincts could slow him early in his career, but he’s a battle-tested, three-down option with special teams value and starting potential."
Nakobe Dean is a powerful downhill tackler that we'd avoid calling an elite cover linebacker despite his game-ending interception vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis are trench guys. Azeez Ojulari is a pass rusher. Kelee Ringo is a cornerback and special teams ace. Lewis Cine is a safety.
Mondon is fluid in space and disrupts catches in man-to-man situations. An AFC national scout told Zierlein that Mondon “Played inside some, but he will be a cleanup and cover Will [weakside linebacker]. Just need to make sure his foot checks out in medicals.”
Frankly, we couldn't be more excited. An LB that can cover? This adds yet another wild card to an already-impressive Vic Fangio defense.
