The Philadelphia Eagles are fresh off of an absolutely dominating Super Bowl victory in which they beat the Kansas City Chiefs without sending a single blitz on quarterback Patrick Mahomes. That masterclass by defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was, of course, followed by a number of Eagles defensive players getting big paydays elsewhere around the league and the NFL circle of life affecting this team as much (or more) than anyone else.
The Eagles lost players on their defensive front like Milton Williams and Josh Sweat, but they also let CJ Gardner-Johnson leave once again.
As awesome as the Eagles are on paper, they needed to address the safety position in the 2025 NFL Draft, and they managed to land one of the most underrated ballhawks in the class.
Eagles steal Texas safety Andrew Mukuba in 2025 NFL Draft
One year after taking Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, the Eagles spent a second-round pick on Texas safety and former Clemson transfer Andrew Mukuba. Mukuba spent his first three college seasons at Clemson where he was a playmaker, and he picked up right where he left off with the Longhorns defense, picking off five passes in 2024.
NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein painted a picture of Mukuba as a prospect and he couldn't be a more perfect fit for what Vic Fangio loves at the position:
"Four-year starter who plays the game with the instincts and awareness of a player who has seen a lot of football. Mukuba has the athleticism to play in the slot but is best when he’s able to read the field as a “robber” and use his instincts, burst and ball skills to make plays. He moves efficiently in coverage, but that efficiency can get away from him in run support, where he races in too hot and misses tackles. Mukuba possesses the character, physicality and playmaking instincts that will draw NFL teams to him as a future starter."
- Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
This is the perfect replacement for someone like CJ Gardner-Johnson in the Philly defense, and very few people are talking about it. Eagles first-round pick Jihaad Campbell has received a ton of fanfare at this point, but a player like Mukuba is going to probably have just as big of an impact on that revamped secondary in Philadelphia this coming season.
This was an outstanding pick by Howie Roseman, taking advantage of the board falling his way and not making any panic moves. Everyone was shocked last year to see the Eagles land multiple projected first-rounders in Mitchell and DeJean falling right into their laps. While Mukuba isn't quite on that same level, he's going to work exceptionally well within their scheme.