The Philadelphia Eagles have taken four Georgia football players in the past two NFL drafts

Jalen Carters’ wait in the NFL draft green room in Kansas City Thursday night ended with him going to a team with some familiar faces in the locker room.

The The Philadelphia Eagles traded up to grab the All-American defensive tackle from Georgia at no. 9 overall pick in the first round.

Carter plays in an Eagles defense that includes a pair of 2022 NFL draft picks from the Bulldogs, defensive lineman Jordan Davis (first round) and inside linebacker Nakobe Dean (third). It also has one from last season’s national championship team, as the Eagles took another Georgia guy, outside linebacker Nolan Smith, with the No. 30 pick.

Dean hung out with Smith at his draft party at Chateau Elan in Braselton.

More: Risk and reward with Georgia football DL Jalen Carter for teams in the NFL draft

“It’s an exciting time for me,” Carter told reporters in Philadelphia, who are covering Davis and Dean joining the team. “They were the leaders of the 2021 team and I just know if I have a question I can ask them and I can ask anyone else on the team as well.”

Dean shared on Twitter with his reaction after Carter’s selection: Yessssssiiiiiirrrrrr.

Davis had a similar response: OOOWEE with the Eagle emoji and tagged Carter on his Twitter handle Breadmanjale.

Carter said he spoke with Davis on Wednesday and he and Dean exchanged texts before the draft.

“That’s a big thing, when you go to college and you know somebody there, it helps,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “When you come into the profession and you know somebody, I know it helps, and these guys know a lot of guys here.”

Carter shed tears as she walked to the stage and hugged Commissioner Roger Goodell.

“The first day I get there, it’s time to work and I’d have won the Super Bowl,” he said.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart was in Kansas City for the draft and mentioned Davis’ name when talking about where Carter would fit on an NFL team, given the character concerns that have surrounded him in the draft process.

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I think any NFL team that picks has a great environment, Smart said on ESPNs College GameDay draft program. They have older players who are like big brothers to the newcomers. He had it in Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt (now with the Packers). I think that’s important. I think a strong D-line coach is great. I think Jalen fits a lot of teams because he’s a really good football player.

Carter was still in the top 10, but some teams may have shunned him after he pleaded no contest to reckless driving and racing in the Jan. 15 crash that killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staff Chandler LeCroy.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman called it “a tragic night and we’re sorry for the loss of these families. We’re not trying to make light of it.”

As for Carter, he said, “We’ve got to develop the people, we’ve got to develop the player. For us, we take that part seriously.”

Carter said the Eagles “didn’t really ask much about the accident that happened. It was pretty much getting to know me and the love I have for football. Just getting to know my Personality.”

Roseman said the team spent “a lot of time looking into the case around that. We talked to Jalen about a lot of things.”

More: Georgia football’s top 5 2024 NFL draft prospects and 5 others who could boost their stock

Carter was the No. 1 pick by ESPN’s Mel Kiper.

He was asked on ESPN after being drafted about the range of emotions he went through.

That’s a lot, he said. Its time to work. The Eagles got the best player in the draft.

This article originally appeared in the Athens Banner-Herald: The Philadelphia Eagles continue to produce UGA football players