During the first three years of Nick Sirianni’s tenure as head coach in Philadelphia, the Eagles didn’t play their rookies very much on offense or defense.
That changed in 2024.
During the Super Bowl season, the top three picks (Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean and Jalyx Hunt) ended up playing major roles in the championship run. Mitchell was a starter all season, DeJean worked his way into the starting lineup and Hunt worked his way into the edge rusher rotation.
As we look ahead to this upcoming season, let’s try to find roles for the Eagles’ 10-man draft class in 2025:
Round 1-31: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
The Eagles might have gotten the steal of the draft by moving up just one spot to take a consensus top-15 player at No. 31 overall. But there are many factors that make it really tough to figure out just how much Campbell is going to play during his rookie season and it starts with the reason he slipped to the bottom of the first round. There were some injury concerns.
Campbell, 21, had shoulder surgery in March to repair a torn labrum. That came after the Combine and before the Alabama pro day. The week before the draft, Campbell actually retweeted a report that he would be ready for his rookie training camp but he and the Eagles have been noncommittal about his timeline since the draft. It seems possible that Campbell could miss the spring and perhaps even some of training camp. So we’ll have to see if he’s healthy.
The other reason it’s really hard to project Campbell’s playing time is we don’t know which position he’s going to major in first. Campbell played mostly off-ball linebacker late in his career at Alabama but was recruited out of high school as an edge rusher. And after Howie Roseman drafted Campbell, he immediately talked up Campbell’s ability to add value as a rusher off the edge. While the Eagles didn’t want to get too deep into their plans to use Campbell, the good news is that veteran defensive coordinator Vic Fangio doesn’t care to play games. Whenever we eventually talk to Fangio, he’ll let everyone know the plan for Campbell.
While the big upside to this pick is Campbell’s ability to rush off the edge, the clearest path to a ton of playing time right now is probably at linebacker. While Zack Baun signed a three-year contract extension in March, Nakobe Dean is still recovering from a torn patellar tendon and might not be ready for the start of the 2025 season. Oren Burks left in free agency too, which means Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is the top incumbent candidate to be the middle linebacker next to Baun. But if the Eagles put Campbell at linebacker, he would immediately be the favorite to win that gig.
And as much as Campbell’s upside as an edge rusher is intriguing, the Fangio saw a lot of the same skillset in Baun and turned him into an All-Pro linebacker. It’ll be fascinating to see how the Eagles bring Campbell along.
In any case, as long as he’s healthy, Campbell should have a role this season. That could be off-ball or on the edge. Campbell has the seventh-shortest odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, according to FanDuel:
Abdul Carter: +250
Jalon Walker: +700
Travis Hunter: +1000
Mykel Williams: +1100
Shemar Stewart: +1200
Mason Graham: +1200
Mike Green: +1500
Jihaad Campbell: +1500
Round 2-64: Andrew Mukuba, S, Texas
The Eagles traded away C.J. Gardner-Johnson in March, which left them with a starting spot open next to incumbent starting safety Reed Blankenship. Mukuba should get a chance to compete for that job against former third-round pick Sydney Brown. And, right now, I’d give the edge to Mukuba.
While comparisons can often be unfair, there are plenty of similarities between the play styles of CJGJ and Mukuba. They’re both undersized safeties who don’t play like it and both have ball skills. After the top two safeties off the board — Malaki Starks in the 1st and Nick Emmanwori early in the 2nd — the Eagles had their choice of the rest when they were on the clock at No. 64. It might have been a tad earlier than some expected Mukuba to come off the board but there’s plenty to like about the Texas safety who began his career at Clemson.
Is there a chance the Eagles could still add at the safety position? Sure. And before the draft, veteran and former Pro Bowler Justin Simmons expressed his interest in joining DC Vic Fangio and DBs coach Christian Parker in Philly. But after using a second-round pick on Mukuba, the Eagles might be more inclined to see how this competition plays out.
Brown, 25, was a third-round pick in the 2023 draft. He was taken with the 66th-overall pick so don’t get too bogged down on the round. He was basically selected around the same spot as Mukuba, who was taken with the final pick in the second at 64. Brown showed some promise as a rookie in 2023 and was a Red Star player in that draft; so the Eagles were excited about him not that long ago. Unfortunately for Brown, he tore his ACL in the regular season finale in 2023 and that put him behind in 2024. He missed training camp and began the season on PUP. Eventually, he played in 11 games but was buried on the depth chart behind the two starters, Tristin McCollum and Avonte Maddox. While Brown was behind because of the injury, it’s still fair to point out that both McCollum and Maddox got playing time over him in 2024.
And it’s also worth noting that Fangio was not the DC when Brown was drafted. He might have a preference for the player he helped scout. But I also wouldn’t completely count out Brown in this competition. It just seems like Mukuba should be the favorite to win the gig. If you’re wondering, Mukuba’s odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year are +8000. There are 27 players with shorter odds. But he finds himself on the list because there’s a pretty clear-cut path to playing time in Year 1.
Round 4-111: Ty Robinson, DT, Nebraska
Once you get into Day 3, you’re no longer expecting to find starting players. But Robinson was the Eagles’ third pick in this draft and plays at a rotational position. So it’s fair to presume he’s going to be a part of that rotation. Las year’s third-round pick, Hunt, was drafted 94th overall and he worked his way into the rotation despite having significantly less experience than Robinson.
Robinson will actually turn 24 on Saturday and was a sixth-year senior in 2024. So he has way more experience at the college left playing defensive tackle than Hunt did coming out last year at edge rusher, especially because Hunt’s college career began at Cornell as a safety. By the end of the season, Hunt was playing a ton as the Eagles’ third edge rusher.
So what should we expect from Robinson? Well, at defensive tackle, the Eagles bring back Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo and Thomas Booker IV from last year’s team. Milton Williams left in free agency, signing a $104 million deal with the New England Patriots. So the Eagles will need to replace Williams’ 501 snaps (48%) from the 2024 season.
Here’s a reminder of how that DT rotation worked out in 2024:
Jalen Carter: 831 snaps (79%)
Milton Williams: 501 snaps (48%)
Jordan Davis: 388 snaps (37%)
Moro Ojomo: 388 snaps (37%)
Thomas Booker IV: 166 (16%)
So how do the Eagles replace those 500 snaps they lose from Williams? The easiest answer is that we can expect to see Ojomo take a jump in his playtime in 2025. The former seventh-round pick gave the Eagles some really quality snaps and showed real growth in his second NFL season. We might also see Davis play a tad more on passing downs than he did last season.
But even if Ojomo jumps up into Williams’ role, that leaves his role from the 2024 season vacant and that’s the opportunity for Robinson. Had the Eagles used one of their first two picks on a defensive tackle, we’d be talking about that guy immediately taking over for Williams in a 1-for-1 swap but because they didn’t, there will probably be more of a group effort to replace him. Robinson should be a significant part of that rotation if he has a strong summer.
Round 5-145: Mac McWilliams, CB, UCF
If the Eagles don’t add anyone else at cornerback this offseason, McWilliams will have a good shot to stick on the roster as a backup corner/nickel and special teams contributor. Remember, the Eagles parted ways with Darius Slay this offseason and Isaiah Rodgers left in free agency so McWilliams might help the depth at outside corner and nickel.
Two of the Eagles’ starting cornerbacks are set in stone. Both Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are coming off fantastic rookie seasons and will be in the starting lineup in 2025. Mitchell will be the unquestioned CB1 and even though DeJean probably could play outside cornerback, the Eagles will probably want to keep him in the nickel spot where he thrived. That leaves the CB2 job up for grabs between Kelee Ringo and Adoree’ Jackson.
The only other corners on the current roster are Eli Ricks, Parry Nickerson, Tariq Castro-Fields and A.J. Woods. The Eagles have kept Ricks around for a few years so he’s a legitimate threat to make the roster. But as long as McWilliams had a decent summer, he should be able to make the team as a depth piece and special teamer. In college, he played on special teams and even returned punts. While he’s unlikely to be a full-time punt returner, he should offer value on teams.
Round 5-161: Smael Mondon Jr., LB, Georgia
After drafting Campbell in the first round, the Eagles took another linebacker in the fifth. Mondon is a super athletic guy who feels like he could become a special teams demon in the NFL. Mondon will be a bit buried on the depth chart at linebacker behind Baun, Campbell, Dean and Trotter but he could stick as a situational linebacker who specializes in coverage and a key special teams contributor because of his extreme athleticism.
Mondon is 6-foot-2, 224 pounds. He ran a 4.58 in the 40 (81st percentile), had a 10-yard split of 1.52 seconds (96th percentile) and had a broad jump of 10-10 (96th percentile). Not only does Mondon have the athleticism to be a good special teamer but he has already done it. That’s the nice thing about Georgia; even their starters play special teams under Kirby Smart. And Monday played pretty much everywhere early in his career in 2021 before becoming a starter.
According to the 33rd Team, Mondon played over 425 special teams snaps in his Georgia career. Here’s the breakdown: 100 on punt coverage, 97 on punt return, 85 on kickoff, 58 on kickoff return. So if Mondon is able to make the roster, he seems like a candidate to be active on game days for his special teams prowess.
Round 5-168: Drew Kendall, C/G, Boston College
This is the second straight year the Eagles have drafted a center on Day 3 of the draft. Last year, they took Dylan McMahon in the sixth round. They released him at final cuts and signed him to their practice squad, but McMahon was quickly signed to the Rams’ 53-man roster and is still in LA. So first, we’ll have to see if Kendall makes the Eagles’ 53-man roster and that’s not a given.
But the Eagles’ backup center last year was actually left guard Landon Dickerson. Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland has said before that he generally prefers to make 1-for-1 replacements instead of moving around the line but he obviously felt like Dickerson was the best option behind Cam Jurgens, especially without a pure backup center on the roster and because the Eagles’ depth at guard was much better than their depth at center in 2024.
Kendall has the kind of developmental traits that made him worth a fifth-round pick but he has work to do to first make the roster and second be active on game days. A big part of that work will be his cross-training at guard. While Kendall played only center at BC, he thinks of himself as a versatile player who can play multiple spots. Could he perhaps sneak into the right guard race? Maybe. He’s an outsider in the competition right now with Tyler Steen and Kenyon Green ready to battle it out. But when it comes time to figure out which players are active on game days, that versatility is a big deal. For now, there’s not an easy path to playing time for Kendall; he’s a developmental center.
Round 6-181: Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse
If McCord ends up playing any kind of significant role during his rookie season, then things haven’t gone well. He’ll enter training camp in a position battle with Dorian Thompson-Robinson for the No. 3 job behind starter Jalen Hurts and backup Tanner McKee. The Eagles traded Kenny Pickett this offseason because they felt comfortable with McKee as the two and they got DTR back in that trade.
We haven’t seen DTR or McCord in an Eagles uniform yet, but based on the Eagles’ drafting McCord, he seems like the more likely candidate to win that No. 3 job, but he’ll actually have to do it on the field. Even if that happens, it’s unlikely McCord will get much (if any) playing time as a rookie. If he’s able to make the roster, he’ll be the Eagles’ No. 3 and emergency quarterback. That means that he’ll be inactive every week but would dress on game days in case the starter and backup suffer injuries. That’s the role we saw McKee in the last couple of years.
Round 6-191: Myles Hinton, OT, Michigan
The Eagles are obviously in a pretty good place with their two starting offensive tackles. Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson are two of the best tackles in the NFL ,but the Eagles lost their swing tackle Fred Johnson to free agency this offseason. They also lost starting right guard Mekhi Becton.
Could Hinton find his way into the starting right guard battle? Like we mentioned with Kendall, it’s possible but seems pretty unlikely. That job appears to be a competition between Steen and Green.
But the swing tackle job might be a little more attainable. The Eagles this offseason signed 32-year-old veteran Kendall Lamm to be that swing tackle. Lamm is a 10-year veteran but his 2024 season ended early because of a back injury that needed surgery. So we’ll have to see if Lamm is healthy and back to his old self this spring and summer. Hinton should challenge Lamm for that position. Hinton (6-6, 325) played on both sides of the line during his college career at Stanford and then Michigan. According to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Hinton started 19 games at right tackle and 12 games at left tackle in college, making him an ideal swing-tackle candidate.
Round 6-207: Cameron Williams, OT, Texas
The 21-year-old Williams decided to forgo his senior season and enter the draft. He probably expected to hear his name get called earlier than it did on Day 3. As a sixth-round pick, Williams (6-6, 334) has the frame and athleticism to be a project for Stoutland. Not only was Williams drafted after Hinton but he also has significantly less experience (16 starts to 31) and all of Williams’ starts have come at right tackle.
Because of his measurables and profile, Williams is an ideal developmental tackle but it’s hard to imagine him leap-frogging the players ahead of him (including Hinton) to earn a significant role as a rookie. He was a really strong value pick and he’s worth keeping around to develop. It’s a bit of a longshot but maybe one of these Day 3 picks can be developed into the eventual replacement for Lane Johnson.
Round 6-209: Antwaun Powell-Ryland, Edge, Virginia Tech
The Eagles have a crowded edge rusher room even without Campbell, who may end up in there. Before the draft, that room includes Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Bryce Huff, Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche. Now you can go ahead and throw Powwell-Ryland into the mix. There are some unknowns with a lot of that group listed above but it’s fair to assume Smith, Hunt and Ojulari will definitely be members of the rotation. We’ll see about Huff and Uche. APR was super productive in college with 25 1/2 sacks over the last two seasons so we’ll be excited to see if he can carve out a roster spot and a role on defense during training camp.
Powell-Ryland, 23, will have to earn his roster spot but could be a candidate to earn snaps as a sub-package rusher and special teams contributor as a rookie.
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