2025 NFL Draft Grades: Philadelphia Eagles

Best Pick: Second-round safety Andrew Mukuba would have been a higher pick if he weighed a little more. He throws his body around as much as anybody in this draft. But the concern is if he will hold up.

Worst Pick: I like their draft, so I will go with this: They didn't pick an offensive lineman until the fifth round. That surprises me for a team that always seems to have guys developing and ready to play.

The Skinny: They went defense with their first five picks to fortify a unit that suffered some losses in free agency and has some injury issues. First-round linebacker Jihaad Campbell was the best off-ball linebacker in this draft. I like quarterback Kyle McCord in the sixth. They added a bunch of other talented players. Howie Roseman had another good draft.

Top needs entering the draft: Safety, defensive tackle, linebacker and wide receiver

I gave the Eagles an A after last year's draft, but no way did I think their top two picks -- cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean -- would help power a much-improved defense to a Super Bowl title. That's how to target a need and get an instant impact.

This year? Well, general manager Howie Roseman's No. 1 post-free agency priority is to figure out how to replace 1,067 combined snaps from key defensive linemen Josh Sweat and Milton Williams, both of whom left for massive contracts elsewhere. Roseman signed edge rushers Joshua Uche and Azeez Ojulari to one-year deals, but I thought he could go D-line in Round 1. Donovan Ezeiruaku, maybe? Or Darius Alexander?

Roseman went a slightly different direction, however, adding versatile off-ball linebacker Jihaad Campbell, who I thought could go in the top 20 picks. Campbell can be a chess piece for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, getting a handful of snaps on the edge per game. This pick tells me there's some concern about the knee injury Nakobe Dean suffered in January, so Campbell could help fill that void. He's a really solid player.

I mentioned in my Friday night recap how much I like safety Andrew Mukuba, whom Philly got at the end of Round 2. He can play the role vacated by the trade of C.J. Gardner-Johnson. He hits like a linebacker.

On Day 3, offensive tackle Cameron Williams could be a steal -- if Philly can help him put all of his talent together. He started just one college season. I had him No. 125 on my Big Board. Ty Robinson will join Fangio's deep front-seven rotation and play multiple positions. Linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. can be a special teams demon. Quarterback Kyle McCord is a solid No. 3 QB. Roseman has done it again, selecting solid players throughout the draft.

The defending champs put together a rock-solid draft, as usual, scooping up value when it fell to find early contributors on both sides of the ball. I loved their pick of Alabama linebacker/edge rusher Jihaad Campbell, a super talented playmaker who fell in the draft due to concerns over a labrum injury. He adds to an already talented defensive front and brings the skill set to line up both off the ball and on the edge. Texas safety Andrew Mukuba is another exciting prospect, bringing tenacity and versatility to the team's back seven. Nebraska defensive tackle Ty Robinson should add depth to the team's interior defensive line, while UCF corner Mac McWilliams and Georgia linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. do the same on the back seven. Keep an eye out on the team's sixth-rounder, Cameron Williams. The former Texas offensive tackle needs some time to develop and clean up some issues in pass pro, but he's a massive human being with natural movement skills, so of course the Eagles got him. It won't be surprising if they develop him into a contributor at either guard or tackle down the line.

In a case of the rich getting richer, Howie Roseman nabbed the draft's most exciting off-ball linebacker in Jihaad Campbell at No. 31 overall, boldly moving up one pick to assure his addition. It was a move that made a lot of sense, as opponents will have little choice but to get the ball out quickly to running backs and tight ends in trying to avoid the Eagles' vaunted pass rush, and Campbell offers extraordinary agility in coverage. Roseman returned to the position later in the draft with yet another Georgia standout in Smael Mondon Jr., another fast and physical linebacker who flashes future starting ability.

In between, the Eagles landed a natural cover safety in Andrew Mukuba and two of the more underrated and pro-ready interior linemen of this class, defender Ty Robinson and NFL legacy Drew Kendall at center. These weren't positions of need for the defending Super Bowl champions, but they only make the roster younger, hungrier and cheaper.

That "always compete" mentality also made quarterback Kyle McCord an intriguing selection in the sixth round. No one is suggesting that he is going to push Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, but he might challenge Tanner McKee and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. McCord flashes starter-caliber accuracy, serving as a late-round investment policy for a team that seemingly has it all.

Here's why: The Eagles had an interesting draft. Jihaad Campbell might have been a surprise, but he was projected to go higher. He has the talent to be an instant impact player for the Eagles' front seven. Andrew Mukuba can potentially fill a big need at safety on the back end. His addition creates a really talented, young defensive back trio with Quinyon Mitchell and Super Bowl star Cooper DeJean. Drafting another linebacker in Georgia's Smael Mondon Jr. was an interesting move. The Eagles did a lot in this draft to keep the spine of their team strong.

Most interesting pick: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama

Campbell gives the Eagles someone who can do a little bit of everything and is a big, fast, explosive player to play with Zack Baun. What does this mean for Nakobe Dean as he recovers from a torn patellar tendon? Campbell can rush a bit off the edge, but at his peak he can be an impact off-ball linebacker in Vic Fangio's defense.

EVP/GM Howie Roseman isn't satisfied unless he's made a few trades, added blockers ... and reeled in a University of Georgia defender. Check, check and check, ex-Bulldogs LB Smael Mondon Jr. arriving in Round 5. Nearer the top, it's also very Roseman to get a sublime talent such as multi-dimensional LB Jihaad Campbell, who could fill multiple needs in Philly once his shoulder is sound, at the end of Round 1. Same goes for second-round S Andrew Mukuba. Sixth-round QB Kyle McCord could blossom into a quality backup in time. And, yes, Roseman added three O-linemen.

The rest of the league might have groaned seeing GM Howie Roseman add another talented playmaker to an already stacked Philly defensive front. Campbell was surprisingly available at the end of the first round, perhaps because teams don't value off-ball linebackers as much as other positions. But Campbell was a quality pass rusher during his time at Alabama. The Eagles also added the versatile Mukuba, who can play free safety and nickel cornerback. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio could have more flexibility with Cooper DeJean if Mukuba hits the ground running.

I'm not one of these people who act like the Eagles have some secret recipe during the draft and tweet "HoWiE dOeS iT aGaIn." You mean the guy who picks the best player available in the first two rounds has a high success rate? Incredible. Anyway, they had a fine draft. Jihaad Campbell will be a good piece in the middle of the defense and they took a ton of offensive linemen that will probably end up being the best versions of themselves because Jeff Stoutland is a wizard.