Eagles Draft Day Round 5: Mac Attack Meets Genetics

The Eagles used two selections in the fifth round, making bets on athletic CB Mac McWilliams and legacy OL Drew Kendall.

Boston College Eagles offensive lineman Drew Kendall speaks to the media during the ACC Kickoff. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA -

The Skinny: A defensive theme of undersized, athletic players in the 2025 draft reached the fifth round when the Eagles selected Central Florida cornerback Mac McWilliams with the 145th overall pick.

Sentiment around the league was growing that Philadelphia would be the team to buck the trend and see the value in quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who went from a potential top-10 pick into the fifth round.

The Cleveland Browns may have had that thought, trading in front of the Eagles to finally select Sanders at No. 144.

McWilliams was next and played outside cornerback in what was a multiple-coverage scheme at UCF with plenty of Cover 2, Cover 3, and some press man responsibilities. He played outside and inside at UAB before his stint at Central Florida and excelled at both in Senior Bowl practices.

At the pro level McWilliams' lack of length makes him a better projection inside.

The Eagles moved out of No. 165, getting two sixth-round [picks from the LA Chargers to do so, Nos. 181 and 209.

With the 168th selection, Philadelphia finally went offense with Boston Collage center Drew Kendall.

Kendall is the son of former Pro Bowl center Pete Kendall, who spent 13 years in the NFL so that's the family business. And Kendall played all of his college snaps at B.C. in the pivot. He's regarded as an athletic player with an upside as a starter in a zone-blocking scheme.

Instant Reaction: The Eagles need to repopulate the secondary as a whole and CB specifically after losing Darius Slay, Isaiah Rodgers and Avonte Maddox in the offseason. McWilliams is a solid Day 3 addition sith outside/inside versatility.

The Eagles do have a great backup center, but he's also their Pro Bowl left guard, Landon Dickerson, so the organization would like to take that off Dickerson's plate, which makes sense.

Should Have Selected: LSU Edge defender Brady Swinson would have been a worthy selection at No. 145, as would Texas RB Jaydon Blue. Both players went withing the next five picks.

LSU guard Miles Frazier could have offered a little more versatility than Kendall.

MORE NFL: Eagles Draft Day Round 4: Another Athletic Defender