Eagles Add Safety
Posted: April 26th, 2025 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | No Comments »The Eagles went into Day 2 of the NFL draft with picks 64 and 96. They used pick 64 on a safety and then made a couple of trades in the third round, adding a future pick and more picks tomorrow.
SAF Andrew Mukuba – Texas – 5-11, 186
Mukuba transferred from Clemson prior to 2024. While at CU, he was primarily a slot corner. Texas had him play safety and moved him around. That brought out the best in him and Mukuba had a breakout season for one of the best defenses in college football.
Trf from Clemson. While at CU, had 149 tackles (4.5 for loss), one sack, 20 pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and one interception in 35 games (31 starts) from 2021-23. Had 5 INTs and 11 PDs for Texas in 2024. Has good ball skills. Shows good awareness. Inconsistent tackler. There are times when he attacks targets and puts them down cleanly. Other times he will be sloppy and miss. He is aggressive and physical. Plays bigger than he is. Had a huge hit on the Georgia QB in the SEC title game. Good athlete. Played the wide side of the field a lot.
Fun player to watch.
Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni had a lot of good things to say about him. Howie talked about how hard it is to find safeties with good cover skills. Mukuba can play deep, in the slot or in the box. He’s comfortable in man coverage or playing centerfield.
I think new Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba understands route concepts, is an active dropper with a good feel for space, and has natural vision in zone coverage
He had a 99th percentile @SumerSports zone coverage SumerScore and flashed in multiple roles on film pic.twitter.com/GMbWc0hwvr
— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) April 26, 2025
Nick liked his play style, mentioning his relentless effort. Mukuba finished third in tackles for Texas. He’s not just a ballhawk. He gets to the football and makes tackles in the run/short pass game.
Andrew Mukuba has the same type of alignment and positional versatility that CGJ had. Will be a starting safety by no later than next year. High character, great instincts and ball skills.
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) April 26, 2025
With CJGJ gone, the Eagles needed someone to challenge Sydney Brown for the starting job. Mukuba has the talent, experience and athleticism to push Brown and win the job.
Good pick.
*****
The Eagles got to 96 and then traded back to 101. They added a 5th round pick next year. You can wonder why they did that considering they already have a lot of picks next year. You can always add more and then use them in trades.
At 101, the Eagles moved back again.
101, 134 for 111, 130, 191 https://t.co/cNIUm02RS2
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) April 26, 2025
The Eagles now have 6 picks for Saturday.
4th
4th
5th
5th
5th
6th
How should we read the trades? Howie said the Eagles considered trading up in both rounds, but the price was too high from where they were. That’s the downside of having the last pick.
He wouldn’t say it, but his actions tell you the Eagles didn’t love their options. They may have felt moving down and getting the same level of players plus having additional resources was worth it.
There are still good players left on the board. Howie and the scouts will talk in the morning to come up with a good plan.
There is also the possibility of trading for veterans. The Eagles have a surplus of picks next year. They could use some of those to acquire a player that is being shopped. Howie is always working the phones and ready to make a move.
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