Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Eli Ricks impressed the general manager Howie Roseman during training camp and the preseason, helping him to land a spot on the final 53-man roster.
"His work ethic, his care factor was really high," Roseman said. "It's a great success story for him. He came in with the right attitude and we called him, and told him he was on the team."
Ricks joined the Eagles as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Alabama after the 2023 NFL Draft. In high school, he was a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 1 cornerback in the 2020 recruiting class. He committed to Louisiana State University where he spent two seasons before transferring to Alabama.
His best season in college came as a true freshman at LSU, where he started at cornerback and recorded 20 tackles and four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns.
In Philadelphia's first preseason game, he showed flashes of why he was so highly touted as a prospect, intercepting a pass and returning it 30 yards for a touchdown.
The Eagles hope that Ricks can recapture some of what made him a can't-miss prospect. He will be learning under some of the best veteran cornerbacks in the NFL like Darius Slay, James Bradberry and Avonte Maddox.
Ricks and Philadelphia will open the season on the road on Sept. 10 at 4:25 p.m. against the New England Patriots in a rematch of Super Bowl LII.
More must-reads: