The Philadelphia Eagles recently held a Zoom meeting with Georgia linebacker C.J. Allen, adding another name to a draft board that has already shown a clear Georgia lean. Eagles reporter James Simone said NFL reporter Aaron Wilson first reported the meeting.
Allen is coming off a season that put him among the top defenders in college football. He was a first-team All-American and first-team All-SEC selection last season, when he made 88 tackles, broke up four passes, recorded 3.5 sacks, forced two fumbles and recovered one. Even with that production, he did not work out at the NFL Combine and did not run at his Pro Day.
The timing matters for Philadelphia because the team lost Nakobe Dean to the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency this offseason, leaving linebacker as an area the front office can still study before the 2026 NFL Draft. Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell are expected to be the Eagles’ starters there next season, but Howie Roseman has repeatedly used early picks on Georgia defenders, selecting Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith Jr. and Dean.
Allen’s draft stock has been shaped by more than his tape. He has been dealing with a knee injury after suffering a meniscus tear in November, and that has helped push projections into the late first round or early second round. For the Eagles, the meeting reads less like a courtesy call than another sign that Roseman is still following the Georgia pipeline closely.