There seemed to be a bit of controversy about Eagles DT Jordan Davis’ whereabouts on April 28th. The internet thought he was present at Nolan Smith’s draft party that evening. It was a fun story. Unfortunately, the tall tale wasn’t true.
Jordan Davis revealed that he was in Philadelphia on the night in question. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t with Smith in spirit. The 6-foot-6, 336-pounder knew in his heart of hearts — or, perhaps, he was tipped off to it by the front office — that the Eagles were going to draft Smith, along with fellow Georgia teammate, Jalen Carter, in the first round.
Jordan Davis had alerted Nolan Smith and Jalen Carter to expect a call from a 215 area code two days before Howie Roseman handed in the card. His exact words: “you know you finna be an Eagle.” Now the former college teammates are hitting the field at OTAs and putting all that built-in chemistry on display. The Georgia connection is real, especially when you throw second-year linebacker Nakobe Dean into the crawfish boil.
“Man, I loved it,” Davis said of drafting Carter and Smith. “It takes the work out of getting to know them because you already know them obviously. But, just the chemistry, the chemistry you see between Jalen [Hurts] and DeVonta [Smith], guys that played with each other in college, just it’s a different type of chemistry, different type of love.”
Real Brotherhood (Not Mentorship) Between Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter
There were multiple reports saying the Eagles were looking to Jordan Davis to keep Jalen Carter “in line” and help him sort through any lingering character issues. No need to rehash the concerns surrounding Carter. The Eagles traded up one spot, from No. 10 to No. 9, to take arguably the most talented player in the draft.
Jordan Davis, projected to be a starter at defensive tackle in 2023, fought back at the assumption that he’s going to be Carter’s mentor. No, the two former college teammates at Georgia consider each other peers and friends more than anything else. True brothers.
“He’s like my brother. It’s not like a mentor, mentee role,” Davis said. “It’s more like a brotherhood, it’s a brotherhood. I can’t really explain it, it’s just whatever he needs. Whatever I need out of him, he’s going to pull it out of me. Whatever he needs I’m going to pull it out of him. And he knows what to expect from me, and I know what to expect from him, and it makes it easier on the field.”
Then, channeling his inner Jalen Hurts, Jordan Davis talked about his comfortability playing alongside Jalen Carter as well as Nolan Smith. It’s time to get freaky.
“Having that experience where we’re on the field at the same time, I’m like, ‘Hey, let’s get freaky. If I want to jab inside, then make sure you cover me’ — just stuff like that,” Davis said. “I know like, hey, I can just look at him a certain kind of way and he gets the message. Same thing with Nolan, like if I want to run a jam, I’m like, ‘Hey let’s do it. Let’s do it.’ But, like again, that comes with time, definitely this is a different system.”
Don’t Forget About New Starter Nakobe Dean
Nakobe Dean and Jordan Davis won a national championship together at Georgia, so don’t leave his name out of the conversation. Dean, who basically red-shirted his rookie year, is primed to be the starting middle linebacker this season for the Eagles. He has been wearing the green dot and calling out plays early on at OTAs.
Jordan Davis talked about banking on their college chemistry to drive the engine room. The Eagles might not skip a beat despite losing two key starters — at defensive tackle (Javon Hargrave) and at linebacker (T.J. Edwards) — from a Super Bowl runner-up team.
“He has this thing, the chip on his shoulder, he talks about it. That’s what drives him,” Jordan Davis said of Dean. “And just seeing him get his opportunity, seeing him and for us to have an opportunity to play together, to be on the field at the same time, that’s amazing.
“If we got a play at Georgia where he’s blitzing and I gotta make sure I get out of his way then he’s going to communicate that. He’s a world-class communicator when it comes to D-line and stuff like that, so just having Nakobe, having him get his shot, it’s great.”
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
