Restocking Defense

The Eagles with their first of two NFL Draft selections Friday evening took Texas safety Andrew Mukuba, bolstering what was a relatively lean safety room.

Mukuba, 22, finished his 2024 campaign with 69 tackles (four for loss) and seven passes defended to go along with five interceptions in his lone season with the Longhorns after transferring from Clemson.

The 5-foot-11, 186-pounder appeared in 50 games over his career, logging 212 tackles (nine for loss), 23 passes defended, six interceptions and a sack.

Mukuba joined Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell as Eagles 2025 draft picks. The team used the 31st overall pick on Campbell on Thursday night, as both picks so far have addressed a Super Bowl champion defense that lost several main components this offseason.

GETTY IMAGES: Eagles second-round pick Andrew Mukuba, who played at Texas, will compete to start at safety.

Mukuba joins an Eagles safety room that includes Reed Blankenship, Sydney Brown, Tristin McCollum, Lewis Cine and Andre’ Sam.

The void created when the team shipped ball-hawking safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans initially placed Brown, the 2023 third-rounder, in the driver’s seat for a chance to start opposite Blankenship. A Brown-Mukuba battle for a spot atop the depth chart figures to be a fascinating jockey.

Here’s my scouting report of Mukuba, listed as my No. 4 safety on my “Big Board.”

“High-level football intelligence is what immediately jumped out last season watching Mukuba patrol the Longhorns secondary. Mukuba clearly qualifies as one of the smartest defenders in this class.

At 5-foot-11, 186 pounds, it’s fair to have durability concerns when projecting the future, especially given Mukuba’s knack for throwing his body around and willingness to seek contact. A free safety, Mukuba is very good at manipulating and baiting opposing quarterbacks, as evidenced last season by his career-high five interceptions. He also offers the versatility teams covet.

As it pertains to the Eagles, who run a defense in which much is required of its safeties, Mukuba presumably fits the bill in terms of playmaking ability and football intelligence. His frame, however, is likely to be a deterrent for some teams.

I have Mukuba pegged as a late Day 2-early Day 3 selection, so if the Eagles stand pat at 64, they would be a sensible fit for the Texas product.”

– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.