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Eagles Sign Second-Round Pick On Eve Of Camp

Rookie second-round pick Drew Mukuba was the last Eagles' draft pick to sign this year.
John McMullen|
May 28, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba (24) during OTAs at NovaCare Complex.
May 28, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba (24) during OTAs at NovaCare Complex. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia Eagles

PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Eagles have signed second-round safety Drew Mukuba to his four-year rookie deal on the eve of their 2025 training camp.

Eagles players are set to report to training camp on Tuesday and will hit the practice field for the first time on Wednesday morning.

The 64th and last overall pick in the second round of April’s draft, getting in on time was important for Mukuba, who is expected to have a legitimate opportunity to start alongside veteran Reed Blankenship on the back end of Philadelphia’s defense.

Third-year player Sydney Brown is expected to get the first rep at practice on Wednesday opposite Blankenship, but both Mukuba and unheralded second-year player Tristin McCollum are expected to compete for the job, which opened up when the Eagles dealt playmaker C.J. Gardner-Johnson to Houston back in March. 

A Texas product via Clemson, Mukuba is perceived to be the coverage-style safety that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio prefers on the back end. 

“It's a competition that is going to take a training camp and a few preseason games to sort out,” Fangio said this spring.

In spring work, all three got some first-team work, as did second-year hopeful Andre Sam’ and reclamation project Lewis Cine. However, only Brown and Mukuba got to work with Blankenship.

There was a bit of a logjam signing second-rounds picks around the NFL this year as fully-guaranteed money reached into the second round for the first time.

Houston receiver Jayden Higgins (No. 34 overall) became the first second-round pick to extend a full four years of guarantees past the first round. That made things easier for the 33rd selection, Cleveland linebacker Carson Schwesinger, to get his own fully guaranteed contract, and then things stopped.

Ultimately, the full guarantees reached all the way down to No. 40 and New Orleans quarterback Tyler Shough.

Deadlines spur action, however, and with camps opening around the country, movement steadily picked up last week with the contract landmarks continuing.

Mukuba's slot in the draft is projected to be a four-year, $7,155,826 contract with a $1,844,237 signing bonus. The overall guaranteed percentage of that $7.156M is expected to set a record for the 64th position in the draft.

MORE NFL: Eagles Training Camp: A Potential Surprise Player At Each Position

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John McMullen
JOHN MCMULLEN

John McMullen is a veteran reporter who has covered the NFL for over two decades. The current NFL insider for JAKIB Media, John is the former NFL Editor for The Sports Network where his syndicated column was featured in over 200 outlets including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Miami Herald. He was also the national NFL columnist for Today's Pigskin as well as FanRag Sports. McMullen has covered the Eagles on a daily basis since 2016, first for ESPN South Jersey and now for Eagles Today on SI.com's FanNation. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube.com. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey and part of 6ABC.com's live postgame show after every Eagles game. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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