The Philadelphia Eagles had sneaky need to fill in the 2025 NFL Draft, and they did so with one of the more underrated prospects in the class
The Philadelphia Eagles are fresh off of a dominant 40-22 Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. From top to bottom, general manager Howie Roseman and this Eagles organization built a tremendous roster. In the world of free agency and the salary cap, it’s hard to completely maintain a deep roster. Philadelphia learned […]
The Philadelphia Eagles are fresh off of a dominant 40-22 Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. From top to bottom, general manager Howie Roseman and this Eagles organization built a tremendous roster. In the world of free agency and the salary cap, it’s hard to completely maintain a deep roster. Philadelphia learned that the hard way this offseason.
The team, unfortunately, said goodbye to a long list of talented players that included Josh Sweat (Arizona Cardinals), Milton Williams (New England Patriots), Mekhi Becton (Los Angeles Chargers), and Darius Slay (Pittsburgh Steelers) among others. The Eagles also traded away safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans, a move that took some by surprise.
As it turns out, that may have been a move that was more about getting a personality out of the building than a player. Regardless of the reason, Gardner-Johnson was still a very important player for the Eagles defense.
With Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Reed Blankenship all returning in the secondary for Philadelphia, the back end is still in a very good place for the Eagles. The major question is who replaces Gardner-Johnson. Sydney Brown hasn’t done enough to make it a certainty that he will be that guy, so the organization needed to add another talented safety to that room.
They did that in the 2025 NFL Draft when they selected former Texas safety Andrew Mukuba with the No. 64 selection in the second round. Many Philadelphia fans weren’t too familiar with Mukuba, but the more research you do, the more excitement should begin to rise. There is a lot to love about what Mukuba brings to the table.
The 5-11, 186-pound safety began his career with the Clemson Tigers, and was utilized more for his talents in making plays from depth. Mukuba became a completely different player for the Longhorns in 2024 showcasing his improved physicality and impact in the run game.
Mukuba quietly became one of the most underrated, and best all purpose safeties in the entire 2025 class. With a lack of depth around Blankenship, there is a good chance that Mukuba finds a substantial role very early on in his NFL career. In a lot of ways, his game is reminiscent of Gardner-Johnson’s game, but with a lot more consistency.
The Eagles have made it a habit of consistently finding value throughout the draft in recent years. There were some that believed Mukuba could be selected inside the top 50 picks, but he fell just outside of it. Don’t be shocked if he makes a quick impact for the World Champions in 2025.
LaNorris Sellers, Jeremiyah Love, CJ Allen, Jermod McCoy, and other early 2026 NFL Draft prospects to know
Early 2026 NFL Draft prospects to know and a mock
