Grading the Eagles’ final 2025 draft haul

The Philadelphia Eagles entered the 2025 NFL Draft with eight picks. They ended up making 10 picks, and they added a selection to their slate of picks in 2026. Let's grade each move that the Birds made this weekend, in chronological order.

Round 1, pick 31: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama (6'3, 235)

It finally happened. The Philadelphia Eagles ended 46-year span in which they didn't select a linebacker in the first round when they drafted Alabama's Jihaad Campbell 31st overall. There's a lot to unpack with this selection.

The Eagles apparently now value linebackers

Throughout the season, every Saturday we review five players who make sense for the Eagles in the following year's draft. Campbell was a considered something of a first-round lock all season, and so we never reviewed him, you know, because he's a linebacker and the Eagles don't draft linebackers in the first round. Oops.

The selection of Campbell was an unexpected outcome. However, "unexpected" doesn't mean "bad." Quite the contrary, actually. The selection of Campbell signals a long overdue boost in prioritization of the linebacker position, and for the Eagles, it makes sense.

Remember in 2023 when the Eagles were trotting out guys like Zach Cunningham, Nicholas Morrow, and the walking corpse of Shaq Leonard? Opposing offenses absolutely shredded them in the middle of the field, both in the run game and pass game. The dysfunctional defensive coaching staff had something to do with that, of course, but it was clear that if you don't have good linebackers, today's NFL offenses can make you pay.

In 2024, the Eagles didn't invest heavy resources at linebacker, but they got unexpectedly outstanding play from Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean. The result? Oh hey, they had the best defense in the NFL, by far. And again, there were other factors, like the arrival of Vic Fangio, vastly improved cornerback play, and Jalen Carter growing into a star player, but this defense would not be where it was without the play of the linebackers.

(Almost) nobody saw this coming

I thought the Eagles had an outstanding poker face throughout the pre-draft process. Campbell did not come in for a "Top 30" visit, and he said his only interaction with the Eagles during the draft process was a conversation at the Combine with edge rusher coach Jeremiah Washburn. We previously knew 2 truths:

1. The Eagles draft a lot of dudes who come in for visits.
2. They don't draft LBs in Round 1.

And, well, aside from Daniel Jeremiah's final mock draft, nobody of relevance picked up on any kind of scent connecting Campbell to the Eagles. Avoiding him throughout the pre-draft process was almost certainly purposeful.

Where will Campbell play for the Eagles?

Campbell was recruited as an edge rusher out of high school, but he moved to linebacker at Bama, with some occasional reps on the edge.

To begin, Campbell is 6'3, 235 pounds. He has prototypical linebacker size.

Change his position to edge defender, and, well, he doesn't. As you can see, 99 percent of NFL edge rushers would outweigh him.

I also thought the following video by Ted Nguyen did a nice job of highlighting Campbell's strengths and weaknesses. Nguyen concluded — and I agree — that Campbell's skill set is much more suited to off-ball linebacker than on the edge. It's not that long. Just five minute. It's worth a the watch.

However, because Campbell possesses that Baun-like OBLB/EDGE versatility, he's yet another player in the Eagles' defense who can allow Fangio to get creative in his scheme disguises.

So if this guy was a such a first-round lock, why did he fall all the way to pick 31?

He's injured. More specifically, he had surgery on a torn labrum following the 2024 season. That did not dissuade the Eagles from grading him very highly.

"This was a top-10 player on our board," Howie Roseman said. "We do not have any long-term concerns with his health. We look at the draft as a long-term opportunity for our team. We have a lot of confidence this guy's going to be here and play at a really high level for a long time. When you're in a draft and you're picking at the end of the first round, you don't have an opportunity to get a top-10 player on your board. A guy who can affect the quarterback, a guy who can affect the passing game.

"We spent a lot of time with our doctors and our medical staff ensuring that we were all seeing it the same way. Again, we have a lot of confidence in our edge rushers on this team and our inside linebackers on this team, but for us, we thought this was one of the best players in the draft."

We'll see how quickly Campbell is able to return to the field and if he's good to go for training camp or not, but for a team like the Eagles, who do not have many holes, they have the luxury of taking injured players who many not be able to participate immediately, as long as they feel like the injuries aren't cause for serious concern, long-term.

The trade up to get him

We should also note that the Eagles traded a fifth-round pick (165th overall) to the Chiefs to move up one spot to get Campbell. They reportedly almost traded all the way up to pick 22 with the Chargers. I don't know what it would have cost to move up to pick 22, but my guess is that it would have been something in the ballpark of a third-round pick this year and a third-round pick next year. That trade falling apart is probably the difference between this pick being almost unanimously praised and it, you know, not.

So the Eagles did benefit from some luck here.

Overall

The Eagles got a top 3 type of prospect in 2023 in Jalen Carter at pick 9. They got a top 12-15 type of prospect in 2024 in Quinyon Mitchell at pick 22. And in 2025, they got a top 15 type of prospect in Campbell at pick 31. They simply do a great job of landing players in the first round at incredible values. A.

Round 2, pick 64: Andrew Mukuba, S, Texas (5'11, 186)

Mukuba was a favorite of mine throughout the draft process, and a very clear fit in Vic Fangio's scheme. He is primarily a safety, but he doubles as a slot corner, in a similar mold as C.J. Gardner-Johnson. He is smart, tough, instinctive, and a ballhawk, as he had 5 INTs and a forced fumble in 2024. He's also a hitter. Watch his highlight reel. He sees the field so well, and has outstanding anticipation of where the ball is going.

"It's really hard to find cover safeties," Roseman told reporters on Friday night. "Guys who have the ability to come down and play over the slot, play in the middle of the field, have natural instincts, play the ball. He was a slot corner at Clemson before he transferred to Texas. He plays with a mentality. He plays an Eagles brand of football. I think for us, the value fit the need. Through the process, this guy just checked all the boxes. That was really what we're looking for at that position."

The downside? The short answer (no pun intended) is that he's small.

About 99 percent of NFL safeties since 1999 have weighed more than him, and 94 percent have had longer arms.

The concern could be that because Mukuba is a physical player but also so small, he could get hurt.

"It's a physical game and injuries happen, but he's been durable (Howie knocked on wood here), and he's a heck of a player," Roseman said. "I think our fans are going to love his play style."

So let's view this pick in terms of value, need, and scheme fit.

Value

Roseman said that the value fit the need.

Draft analysts did not agree that Mukuba was worthy of the 64th overall pick. Dane Brugler of The Athletic had him ranked 109th. Daniel Jeremiah had him 76th. Mel Kiper had him 70th. So, this was not the same kind of perceived value that the Eagles got in Round 1 when Campbell fell all the way to pick 31.

Roseman did even acknowledge that the Eagles considered trading back at that spot.

Personally, I had Mukuba in Round 3 in our Eagles-only mock draft, version 3.0.

• MORE NFL DRAFT
• Analyzing the Eagles' reported 2025 undrafted free agent class
• Eagles GM Howie Roseman stays mum on Dallas Goedert's future after NFL Draft
• Eagles GM Howie Roseman on draft pick Jihaad Campbell: 'This guy can grow into anything you want'

Need

"He's going to start in the safety room, and at the end of the day we're looking to add competition to that position," Roseman said, when asked if he would play safety or slot corner.

After trading C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the Eagles had one definite starter in Reed Blankenship, and then a question mark at the other spot. The leader in the clubhouse to start at safety in 2025, heading into the draft anyway, was Sydney Brown.

Brown tore an ACL in the regular season finale against the Giants in 2023. He missed the entirety of training camp last summer as well as the first four games of the 2024 season.

Brown was a core special teamer as a rookie in 2023 who only played 335 snaps in the regular defense, despite the team suffering quite a few injuries at safety. He was oddly buried on the depth chart early in the season behind Band-Aids like Justin Evans and Terrell Edmunds, playing just 16 snaps the first three weeks of the season before missing the next three games with a hamstring injury. When he got extended action in games later in the season, it was typically out of position at slot corner, where he was filling in for Avonte Maddox and Bradley Roby, after guys like Mario Goodrich and Josiah Scott proved to be ineffective.

In 2024, Brown was once again oddly behind Tristin McCollum on the depth chart for the entirety of the season. He played just 79 snaps in the regular defense, more than half of which came in the Eagles' meaningless regular season finale against the Giants. For whatever reason, the Eagles haven't trusted putting him on the field.

A couple weeks ago, I watched all of Brown's snaps during the 2024 season, hoping to write a player review ahead of the draft, but I just didn't have the time. That'll come out in the next week or so. But, spoiler, it was concerning.

If I were to handicap who is going to win that training camp competition today, I'd have Mukuba pretty far ahead.

Scheme fit

I have little doubt that Vic Fangio rubber-stamped this pick. Because Mukuba is smart, he sees things before they happen, and he can play a wide variety of roles, he is a player who will help Fangio's efforts to confuse opposing quarterbacks.

Overall

If the Eagles were in building mode, I would not love this pick. Mukuba's ceiling probably isn't super high because of his pure physical limitations. But on a Super Bowl roster, he is the type of highly intelligent player who has a really good chance of stepping in and starting competently very early in his career. B.

TRADE: The Eagles traded back from pick 96

The deets:

After this trade, the Eagles now have a projected 12 picks in the 2026 draft. They have a treasure trove of draft capital, which is a great thing even for a team with a loaded roster.

TRADE: The Eagles traded back again from pick 101

The deets:

If you waited up all night to see who the Eagles were going to pick in Round 3, I imagine you were annoyed when they traded out twice.

I'm not going to give these trades a letter grade, but if the Eagles have a bunch of players lumped together closely in value and they think they can still get one of them while adding more assets, then sure, why not?

Round 4, pick 111: Ty Robinson, iDL, Nebraska (6'5, 288)

Robinson is a violent lineman who can play multiple spots along the interior of the defensive line. He's powerful, with a great motor, and upside as a pass rusher (7 sacks in 2024, and 10 batted passes over the last two seasons).

Here are those seven sacks. These aren't freebies. He is smoking guys at the line of scrimmage with his power, hand-fighting, and most of all, his quickness:

Robinson tested very well at the Combine, as you might expect a 288-pound iDL to do. But even at a lighter weight, he was in the 92nd percentile or better in the 40 yard dash, the vertical jump, and the broad jump. He is an explosive athlete.

Or if you prefer RAS scores to spider charts (via @MathBomb):

The downside is that 2024 was Robinson's sixth season at Nebraska, so, you know, he's an older prospect. He'll turn 24 in May, and he is actually three months older than Eagles third-year pro Moro Ojomo.

But certainly, the Eagles needed more depth along the interior of their defensive line, and Robinson can replace some of what Milton Williams did. Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Moro Ojomo will start, but Robinson should also have a rotational role as a rookie.

This didn't seem to be a very popular pick among the fan base, and I'm not sure why. Age aside, there's a whole lot to like, and the fourth round was appropriate value. (I thought he'd go Round 3.)

Grade: A-.

TRADE: The Eagles traded back from Pick 130

The deets:

Interestingly, the Browns traded up to pick 144, one spot ahead of the Eagles to select Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders. During live coverage of the draft, Ian Rapoport passed along a rumor that the Eagles had interest in Sanders. Whether they did or not, their interest in him couldn't have been that high, or they'd have just taken him at Pick 130.

Round 5, pick 145: Mac McWilliams, CB, Central Florida (5'10, 191)

At UCF, McWilliams was an inside-outside versatile corner who projects to the slot in the NFL. He has some speed (4.41 at the Combine), and is a feisty, tough corner against the run. For what it's worth, he also received glowing grades for his zone coverage from PFF, and he stood out at the Senior Bowl in his man coverage reps.

It's perhaps worth noting that during the 2024 draft process, Quinyon Mitchell answered a number of questions the Eagles had about him at the Senior Bowl. His participation there was a key factor in the Eagles' interest in him. McWilliams' showing there no doubt had something to do with the Eagles' selection of him as well.

When you see that McWilliams was drafted out of Central Florida, I imagine some might think that he didn't play against high-quality competition. Well, he did, because UCF plays in the Big 12. McWilliams is battle tested, as he faced the following drafted receivers in 2024:

• Travis Hunter, Colorado: 2nd overall
• Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona: 8th overall
• Jayden Higgins, Iowa State: 34th overall
• Jaylin Noel, Iowa State: 79th overall
• Chimere Dike, Florida: 103rd overall
• LaJohntay Wester, Colorado: 203rd overall
• Jimmy Horn, Colorado: 208th overall

The Eagles felt like a lock to select a slot corner on Day 3, so I wondered initially if this was a "needs" pick. Opinions of McWilliams were a little all over the map, but Daniel Jeremiah had him as his 91st ranked prospect.

This felt like the team's least popular pick among the fans, with some questioning whether he'd even make the team (Spoiler: He will.). I do not think it was a reach.

Grade: B.

Round 5, pick 161: Smael Mondon, LB, Georgia (6'2, 224)

We've profiled Mondon each of the last two years in our prospects series, and he was in one of our Eagles-only mock drafts. So obviously I think he's a fit.

Mondon was a five-star recruit out of high school. He was ranked 21st in the country by 247Sports and 11th by ESPN recruiting. He didn't play much as a freshman in 2021 in Georgia's loaded defense, but he led the 2022 National Champion Bulldogs in tackles with 76. In 2024, he had 57 tackles, 3 sacks, and 3 pass breakups.

He has ideal length to get into passing lanes, as well as impressive quickness and change of direction ability. He's a little different from Eagles linebackers like Nakobe Dean and Jeremiah Trotter, who are better against the run than they are against the pass. Mondon is better against the pass than he is against the run.

Some highlights:

Mondon was also often used in Georgia's defense as a QB spy, and the Eagles are going to have to deal with Jayden Daniels for the foreseeable future. He's a little bit of a different flavor of linebacker than what the Eagles already have in place, and could carve out a role in passing down sub-packages.

Mondon is now the eighth former Georgia Bulldog defender on the Eagles' roster, joining Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Nolan Smith, Nakobe Dean, Kelee Ringo, Azeez Ojulari, and Lewis Cine.

Grade: A-.

TRADE: The Eagles trade out of Pick 165

The deets:

The extra pick at 209 turned out to be Virginia Tech's Antwaun Powell-Ryland, who was a very popular selection, but we'll get to him later.

Round 5, pick 168: Drew Kendall, C, Boston College (6'4, 308)

Kendall started 37 games over his college career, all at center. He has NFL bloodlines, as his father is Pete Kendall, who was a Seahawks first-round pick (21st overall) in the 1996 NFL Draft who played 13 seasons in the NFL.

"Drew, you talk about somebody who's just made to play in the NFL, obviously his dad was a first-round pick," Roseman said. "It's hard to find. It is a center deficient league. There are not a lot of centers on draft boards.

"It is not a natural trait to snap the ball and so not every offense lineman can do that. A lot of times you'll sit there in the fall, and you'll go, 'We'll move this guy to center and then you'll see them in the all-star games and at the Combine and snap the ball and go, '(laughing) That's not going to work, that can't happen.' It's not a natural trait and so we felt very fortunate that he was there.

"It wasn't a need. We thought this was the best player on the board and a guy who fits what we're trying to do."

I'll disagree somewhat that it wasn't a need. Yes, the Eagles have a long-term answer at center in Cam Jurgens, but unless you're counting starting LG Landon Dickerson the Eagles don't have a true backup center on their roster. And because Kendall is a bigger center at 6'4, 308, it's not a stretch to assume that he can also play guard. I imagine Jeff Stoutland will cross-train him at all three interior offensive line spots so that he can become a versatile backup.

I do agree that there aren't many center prospects out there. Kendall was Mel Kiper's second-ranked center, and Brugler's fourth-ranked center.

Kendall has a nice blend of size and athleticism:

As you'll see in the highlight reel below, Boston College used Kendall's athleticism, putting him on the move to the perimeter and to the second level:

Strong fifth round pick.

Grade: A-.

Round 6, Pick 181: Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse (6'3, 218)

McCord was an Eagles fan growing up, and a St. Joe's Prep alum who originally enrolled at Ohio State, but transferred to Syracuse. In 2024, playing in a pass-happy system, he averaged 368 passing yards per game. He completed 391 of 592 passes for an FBS-leading 4779 yards, 34 TDs, and 12 INTs.

McCord is more than willing to push the ball down the field. I mean, you don't throw for almost 5000 yards without taking some risks.

Long highlight reel here:

Earlier this offseason, the Eagles traded 2024 QB2 Kenny Pickett to the Browns, elevating third-year pro Tanner McKee to QB2. They also acquired Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the Pickett trade. McCord will compete with Dorian Thompson-Robinson for the QB3 job. McCord would have to be considered the favorite.

McCord does not have much in the way of mobility, so he is going to spend most of his time in the pocket. If indeed McCord wins the QB3 job, the Eagles will have a pair of backups in McKee and McCord who stylistically are nothing at all like Jalen Hurts. And after typing that sentence I'm now realizing the Eagles backup QBs could be "McKee and McCord."

Jeremiah's 138th-ranked prospect, Kiper's 120th-ranked prospect.

Grade: B-.

Round 6: Myles Hinton, OT, Michigan (6'7, 323)

Hinton is the son of seven-time Pro Bowl OT Chris Hinton, a Colts 1983 first-round pick who played for 13 seasons and was named to seven Pro Bowls. Interestingly, earlier in the day, the Eagles added the son of another first-rounder who played 13 NFL seasons, when they drafted center Drew Kendall, whose dad was Pete Kendall.

Roseman said that bloodlines are a bonus, but a minor factor in selecting players.

"It's certainly part of the player profile," he said. "Coach [Sirianni] and I joke a lot of times about that. Certainly, genetics are part of who we all are and having pro athletes as your parents usually helps. It's hard to play in the National Football League. [It takes a] special kind of talent to play in the National Football League and we see that every day and how talented our players are.

"So, when they come from that, it usually means that the game's not going to be too big for them. They've been around it since they were really little. We see that with our family. They get the opportunity to be around locker rooms and players and so when they come to this big stage, they've been around it.

"And so, certainly, that's not why we're drafting players. We’re drafting them on their ability, but it's helpful."

Hinton has experience playing LT and RT at Michigan, which makes him a candidate to be a swing tackle for the Eagles. He has prototypical size at 6'7, 323 pounds, with 34 1/8" arms. Highlights:

Hinton is big and gifted, but perhaps didn't quite reachh his ceiling at Michigan. Sounds like a late-round project for Jeff Stoutland.

We'll note here that the Eagles have gone way out of their way to add a swing tackle this offseason. They drafted Hinton and Cameron Williams (more on him next), they signed Kendall Lamm in free agency, and they signed Hollin Pierce as an undrafted free agent out of Rutgers.

Grade: B-.

Round 6, Pick 207: Cameron Williams, OT, Texas (6'6, 317)

Williams only had 16 career starts in college, and he played exclusively at RT. He has prototype size at 6'6, 317, with 34 1/2" arms, and massive 11 3/8" hands.

He's a raw "traits" prospect who is going to need significant development in the NFL. A quick highlight reel:

Williams was expected to be drafted higher than where he landed in the sixth round. He was Mel Kiper's 125th ranked prospect, while The Athletic's Dane Brugler and NFL.com's Lance Zierlein both had him rated as a 4th round prospect.

You know where I'm going with this. Let Jeff Stoutland get to work on Williams, and maybe way down the line he can develop into an heir for Lane Johnson.

I thought he was a better value than Hinton.

Grade: A-.

Round 6, Pick 209: Antwaun Powell-Ryland, EDGE, Virginia Tech (6'3, 258)

Powell-Ryland finished with 16 sacks in 2024, third-most in the nation. He is a speed rusher with a nice repertoire of pass rush moves who knows how to finish at the quarterback. In addition to his 16 sacks in 2024, Powell-Ryland had 9.5 sacks in 2023. Impressive production. Some highlights:

Powell-Ryland is undersized, but with good athleticism:

Powell-Ryland will join a now-crowded edge rusher group that includes Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Azeez Ojuulari, Bryce Huff, and Josh Uche. There should be some good competition there in training camp.

But certainly, a guy with 25.5 sacks the last two seasons is worth a look in camp for the low cost of sixth-round comp pick.

Grade: B+.

Overall

My overall grade analysis is going to be very simple. The Eagles added 10 players who all make sense from a value standpoint, most of whom also fit needs. Campbell and Mukuba both have good chances of starting as rookies, while Robinson will likely have an immediate role as a rotational defensive lineman who can play multiple spots. The rest of the Eagles' picks all make sense from a depth and development standpoint.

Is this draft likely to be as strong as last year's when they added Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Jalyx Hunt? I mean, no, but that's a pretty high bar. But for where they were picking at 32nd overall after winning the Super Bowl, this is a strong collection of talent that makes sense in the short term (in some cases), as well as in the long term.

Overall grade: A-

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