Thumbs up or down on the Eagles drafting Andrew Mukuba? Our writers weigh in.

The Eagles selected Texas safety Andrew Mukuba in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday. Here’s how our writers evaluate the pick:

I’m no scout. I haven’t crunched tape on Mukuba or, really, any of the 2025 NFL draft prospects. I watched some play live in college. I watched some film of certain guys before the draft, and have certainly rewatched clips of the Eagles’ picks. But I am not an expert. I never will be, even if I have been able to improve my football knowledge and ability to evaluate a player just by being around the game for a long time now. But I do talk to NFL people who are experts. And, yeah, even if they’re wrong more than they’re right when it comes to the draft, the ones I respect the most have a process that often leads to identifying the elite players in a particular class.

So when I assess the Eagles’ picks, I often look at the process that led them to a selecting a player. Did it make sense? Did they get value? Did they force a need? Does any of that matter if, ultimately, they took a prospect they like? There’s a lot to like about Mukuba. The Eagles may have very well found their next starting safety. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up there at some point during next season. The spot is open after Howie Roseman traded C.J. Gardner-Johnson in March. Did Roseman reach because he didn’t exactly have a replacement? He touted Sydney Brown after dealing Gardner-Johnson, but I didn’t buy it then, and I certainly don’t buy it now. I wrote more about Vic Fangio’s role in Mukuba’s selection in my column after Day 2, but it seems clear to me that the Eagles defensive coordinator wasn’t comfortable with Brown being the lead candidate heading into training camp. Roseman also didn’t do anything at safety in free agency.

I assume he’ll add a veteran at some point to push Mukuba and Brown. But for the first time in some time, the Eagles expended an early-round pick on an obvious need. And I think that’s just reason to feel dubious about a pick. Mukuba didn’t play safety until he transferred to Texas last year. He was a slot corner at Clemson. He’s built more like a slot at 5-foot-11, 186 pounds. Roseman said he could end up there, but the Eagles will start him at safety. If he doesn’t add weight, he’d be the lightest among 37 safeties that played more than 80% of the snaps last season. Mukuba didn’t play as if he was concerned about his size. He flew and threw his body around at Texas. That may not fly against bigger-bodied pros and he could be more prone to injury because of it.

There’s also a question of whether Mukuba was the third-best safety in the class. He went after Malaki Starks (pick No. 27) and Nick Emmanwori (No. 35) at No. 64. Three safeties went in the third round — Kevin Winston (No. 82), Jonas Sanker (No. 93), and Xavier Watts (No. 96). The Falcons traded up for Watts with the Eagles, who moved back five spots. I can’t say with any certainty that they felt they could still select William & Mary tackle Charles Grant at No. 101, but when the Raiders took him at No. 99, Roseman traded back again. Grant was one of the Eagles’ 30 predraft visits. That series of events had nothing to do with Mukuba, but it took a little shine off Day 2.

As for Mukuba’s size, or lack thereof, I recall another safety the Eagles drafted long ago who had similar measurements and turned out fine. He turned out better than just fine, he became a Hall of Famer. Brian Dawkins was listed at 5-11-¼, 189 pounds at the 1996 combine. The game has changed a lot since then. Dawkins had to get bigger if he was to survive. Size isn’t as important nowadays. The NFL has increasingly become a speed game, something Roseman spoke about during the draft. That isn’t exactly earth-shattering news. Mukuba should be able to offset what he lacks in size with his instincts and explosiveness. But if he can’t, I wonder if he has the frame to bulk up.

Mukuba’s size was not a concern to the Eagles, with Roseman noting that Mukuba has a nose for the ball and “a feel for making big-time plays in big-time moments.”

The Eagles need that to translate considering Mukuba will have every opportunity to earn the starting safety spot vacated by Gardner-Johnson, who led the Eagles with six interceptions last season.

Mukuba’s short arms and small hands didn’t stop him from being one of the most effective cover safeties in college football last season. His 4.45 40-yard dash speed and explosion helped him be a menace against the run and he’s known to be adept at route recognition and other areas of coverage,

He’s versatile, something you can also say about first-round pick Jihaad Campbell, but the Eagles will start with Mukuba in the safety room. They’re quite all right for now at nickel with Cooper DeJean, though if things go awry with Mukuba at safety the Eagles could make adjustments.

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Why might this not be a unanimous thumbs up? Mukuba figured to be a third or fourth rounder according to most mock drafts. That being said, pick 64 is basically the third round. We’re splitting hairs. But the Eagles made Mukuba the third safety taken in the draft. Is he the third-best safety prospect? Could they not have waited until deeper into the third round to make a move to get him, assuming he wouldn’t have slid to them at pick No. 96? Atlanta traded up to 96 with the Eagles to select Notre Dame safety Watts, a player many had ranked ahead of Mukuba.

The Eagles’ rankings are all that really matter here.

Perhaps they could have taken another player at a different position at 64. Perhaps they could have traded out to pick up more assets like they did one round later. But they stood pat and got a guy they like a lot. Time will tell if it works out.

I initially gave this a thumbs up when I wrote a morning-after analysis for the Inquirer’s live blog. But in thinking about it more, I’ve downgraded it to a shrug. The Eagles have earned the benefit of the doubt to not give it a thumbs down. They needed competition with Brown for the starting safety spot next to Reed Blankenship and they got that. Mukuba has a chance to start right away, and it’s hard to not think of him as the favorite to win that job months before camp begins.

That doesn’t make it the best pick and that spot. And it doesn’t make it a bad one either.

Let’s get the Mukuba concerns out of the way. Yes, he’s undersized for the position at 5-11, 186 pounds (40th percentile height, 14th percentile weight, according to MockDraftable). Yes, his 30-inch arm length is an anomaly among safeties, too (eighth percentile). The 22-year-old Mukuba will need to bulk up at the next level if he wants to keep up with NFL competition.

Still, there’s a lot to like about Mukuba at a position of need for the Eagles. Turn on the tape and you’ll see a player who plays the game as if he’s bigger than his actual frame. He leverages his 4.45 40-yard dash speed to fly downhill and uses every ounce of his strength to make tackles. His physicality will fit right in with the Eagles’ top-ranked defense under Fangio.

His ball skills are appealing, too, especially in the absence of Gardner-Johnson. Last season, his lone year at Texas, Mukuba racked up a team-high five interceptions and 11 pass breakups. That’s not only a testament to his athleticism, but also to his ability to process the game at a high level.

It doesn’t hurt that Mukuba has the versatility to line up in the middle of the field as a safety or in the slot as a nickel cornerback. While Roseman said that Mukuba will start in the safeties room, his ability to play both positions makes him all the more valuable if the Eagles end up moving DeJean to the boundary.

While Mukuba’s size ought to be a concern, he possesses other enticing traits that could compensate for what he lacks at the next level.

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I had Mukuba going to the Eagles in my one and only mock draft last week, so the upside and fit the Texas safety presents are hardly lost on me.

As a rangy deep safety with the ball skills, coverage instincts, and a physical disposition, Mukuba stood out among other prospects at his position because of how seamlessly he should be able to replace what the Eagles lost by trading away Gardner-Johnson earlier this offseason. He’ll have to beat out the third-year safety Brown for the starting spot, but Mukuba’s college experience makes him an easier projection into Fangio’s scheme compared to Brown, who might be better utilized closer to the line of scrimmage.

But for as much as Mukuba made sense for the Eagles, this pick will ultimately be judged by how he fares relative to the handful of safeties taken shortly after him. The Eagles made Mukuba the third safety off the board and the first among a wave of defensive backs that included Winston, Caleb Ransaw, and Sanker. At the end of the third round — where I originally projected the team might take Mukuba — the Eagles traded away the pick that the Falcons used to draft the Notre Dame safety Watts as well.

Especially since Mukuba’s legitimate size concerns resulted in him being in the middle of that pack rather than at the front according to most draft analysts, it’s likely best to reserve judgment to determine if the Eagles’ internal evaluation was the correct one. It’s also worth noting this is a tricky position to identify in the draft and that Roseman has missed on safeties in the past.

Mukuba could very well end up being the best of the bunch as the Eagles anticipated, but there’s inherent risk involved whenever you’re the one to start a run at a position group.