Ranking Top Eagles' Players 25-And-Younger Shows Promising Sign For Another Title

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There's little doubt the Philadelphia Eagles have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL.
When mentioning the Eagles' talent, Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, Lane Johnson, Jordan mailata, and other veterans come to mind first. The Eagles aren't an old team by any stretch, but most of their well-know players are well over age 25.
Bad news for the rest of the NFL. The Eagles have premium players that are at teh age of 25 or under too.
When evaluating how the Eagles win 10+ games a season and continue to make the playoffs, the drafting and developing of players ahs become paramount. Look at all the good grades given to the draft classes over the past five years.
The Eagles have some good players that are currently age 25 or under. Just looking at the top-10 players age 25 or under signals the franchise will be in good shape for years to come.
10. Dontayvion Wicks (age 25)

One of the highlight acquisitions of the Eagles offseason, Wicks is in a battle to be the No. 2 WR with Makai Lemon and Hollywood Brown.
Wicks was productive as a WR3 and WR4 with the Packers, but fell victim to a numbers crunch at the position. The Packers drafted Matthew Golden after taking Wicks in the fifth round in 2023, while Jayden Reed was in the same draft class as him. Christian Watson was also on the roster.
Wicks is the veteran presence next to DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon -- and he's only 25. He's getting an opportunity for more targets and an expanded role in Philadelphia.
9. Makai Lemon (age 22)

The Eagles' first-round pick sat out the majority of OTAs and minicamp with a hamstring injury, but says he's 100% heading into training camp. Lemon will compete with Wicks and Brown for the WR2 spot, but is expected to be an immediate contributor from the slot.
Lemon's route running and ability to create space in the middle of the field will be a huge boost for this offense. While he's not a premium playear for the Eagles yet, hard to go against Howie Roseman's track record of finding them in the firts round of recent drafts.
8. Jihaad Campbell (age 22)

Campbell was a top-15 player on the Eagles' board when they traded up one spot for him in the draft a season ago. He's going to be the starting off-ball linebacker with Zack Baun entering training camp.
While Campbell was in and out of the linebacker rotation in his rookie year, there were a lot of encouraging signs he can play at a high level. The Eagles are banking on Campbell being the next premium player in their defense.
7. Andrew Mukuba (age 23)

Mukuba certainly made an impact in his rookie season, taking over the starting safety job in Week 3 and never relinquishing the role (actually started in Week 1 as well).
A playmaker in Vic Fangio's defense, Mukuba is the best safety on the roster heading into 2026 (which isn't saying much given the state of the position). The Eagles are already putting him as part of the core with Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
Mukuba is set to take the next step in 2026 if he can stay on the field. He was a playmaker in college and gave the Eagles a small sample size of the same in his rookie year.
6. Nolan Smith (age 25)

Smith's future with the Eagles is certainly in question after his offseason arrest, but he does get to the quarterback when he can stay on the field. The Eagles are going to have Smith rotate with Jalyx Hunt and Jonathan Greenard in the pass rush, and Smith has shown he's a more productive player with a No. 1 pass rusher next to him.
Whether Smith is a premium player or not is still up in the air, buit he's a solid pass rusher. The biggest obsticle holding Smith back is his ability to stay on the field.
5. Moro Ojomo (age 24)

Hard to believe Ojomo isn't even 25 yet, as he was the breakout player on the Eagles last year (there were a few of them on defense). Ojomo had 6.0 sacks, 49 pressures, 12 quarterback hits, and a pressure rate of 11.6% as the No. 3 defensive tackle behind Davis and Jalen Carter.
He'll be the No. 3 defensive tackle this seaosn as well, as Davis has his contract extensiona nd Carter and the Eagles are currently in extension talks.
The Eagles have one more year of Ojomo before he tests the market. He's prime dto go the direction of Milton Williams as an acending player set to receive a big contract.
4. Jalyx Hunt (age 25)

When discussing breakout players on the Eagles, Hunt had that type of season last year. Hunt became the first Eagles player in franchise history to lead the team in sacks (6.5) and INT (3) in the same season.
So how does it get any better than that? Hunt was dominant when the Eagles acquired a No. 1 pass rusher last season in Jaelan Phillips. He had 5.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, two interceptions, a forced fumble, and a 16.8% pressure rate from Weeks 10-17 -- the weeks Phillips played.
Phillips left in free agency, but Jonathan Greenard is here. Greenard is a better player than Phillips, and a full season with Greenard will benefit Hunt.
If Hunt has a double-digit sack season, it shouldn't be surprising. He's in line to get a massive contract extension from the Eagles.
3. Jalen Carter (age 25)

Contract extension talks aside, Carter has been a very good player for the Eagles since they drafted him in the first round in 2023. Carter is literally responsible for the Eagles winning a Super Bowl two years ago.
If Carter doesn't sack Matthew Stafford with 1:14 left in a six-point game with the Rams at the Eagles' 13-yard line (on third-and-2), the Eagles don't have a Super Bowl title. Carter got the interior pressure to force Stafford to throw the ball away on fourth-and-11 and seal the win for the Eagles -- on the next play after that sack.
That's the game changer Carter can be. The Eagles want to see him consistently dominant, as he's shown flashes but hasn't put everything together yet.
If Carter does this in 2026, he might be the best player on the Eagles.
2. Cooper DeJean (age 23)

DeJean is already a First Team All-Pro in the league, and he's only played two seasons. He's the best slot cornerback in the NFL and the Eagles are making sure he stays on the field at all times.
A playmaker in the slot, DeJean is going back there full time after switching between the slot and outside cornerback last season. He has scored more touchdowns from the slot (1) then touchdown passes given up (0) in his career.
DeJean was a good safety in college, and has the talent to be an All-Pro there too. He'll play safety in a base defense this year.
This is one of the premium players on the Eagles, a massive part of the next era for the franchise.
1. Quinyon Mitchell (age 25)

Mitchell already has placed his stamp as one of the elite cornerbacks in the game, becoming a First team All-Pro last season. He's the defination of a shutdown corner in the league.
Opposing quarterbacks had just a 39.6% completion rate targeting Mitchell last season, as he was the only cornerback not to give up a touchdown (minimum 600 coverage snaps).
Mitchell still doesn't have a regular season interception yet, but he has four interceptions in five playoff games. He's allowed just a 32.4 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks in the postseason (five games).
The Eagles have a franchise cornerstone in Mitchell. Another pick they hit in the first round in recent years.

Jeff Kerr covers the Philadelphia Eagles for On SI, part of the Sports Illustrated network and has covered the NFL for 10 years for CBS Sports. He's covered two Super Bowls, three conference championship games, and multiple playoff games in his career. Jeff also covers the Phillies for 97.3 ESPN FM in South Jersey and has been on the Phillies beat for multiple years. He also hosts multiple podcasts including an Eagles one for On SI.
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