New To The Nest

Who are the Eagles’ draft picks, and what could their impact be for the Philadelphia Eagles

1st Round Pick (31) Jihaad Campbell LB- The Eagles went for value in the first round here and by most metrics got some impressive value as many had Campbell inside the top thirteen picks of the draft. The Alabama LB continues Howie Roseman’s objective of having as many Georgia and Alabama players as possible, as not 13/53 (25%) of the roster went to that school. Campbell, though, is a local kid, growing up in Camden County, NJ, and is a lifelong Eagles fan. It will be fun to see how Vic Fangio factors the young stud into the defense, as the Eagles, in a rare turn of events, already have a pretty good linebacking core. Jihaad could probably end up being a pass rusher, too. Campbell slid in the draft due to injury concerns, which is fair. He has spent a fair amount of his career so far injured. The Eagles, however, have been very good at getting guys healthy and keeping them there over recent years. Two years ago, the Eagles got a similar player, Nolan Smith, equally late in the first round, and it has yielded some very nice results. Campbell could potentially follow a similar route, especially with the infectious energy he showed on draft night. 

2nd Round Pick (64) Andrew Makuba S- Born in Harare, Zimbabwe, the undersized, but super athletic safety was taken by Howie in the second round. Depending on what rankings/boards you looked at, this was right about where the Texas safety Makuba would be taken or a bit early. The Eagles are leaning toward safety, as after the CJGJ trade, it looks like the only option is Sidney Brown at the moment. As previously stated, Makuba is undersized at only six feet and 186 lbs, but his nose for the ball and consistently improved tackling throughout his college career may lead him to be a sneaky good pick for a team known for doing that. Get him on an NFL meal plan and into the weight room, and he’ll probably be fine.

Round 3 (111) Ty Robinson DT – A giant bruising man in the middle, Robinson was a force on the Nebraska defense. He led the team in tackles for loss and sacks in 2024 as an interior lineman. What might be the biggest reason he fell in the draft, though, is his age. Robinson just turned 24 this past week, which is a little older than your average draft pick. The last DT the Eagles took in the third round was Milton Williams, and that worked out pretty well. While it would be hard to project that onto Robinson, watch Clint Hurtt and Vic Fangio take a similar approach that they did with Williams and slowly work Ty in as the years progress. A pick that is depth at worst and a solid contributor at best.

Round 5 (145) Mac McWilliams CB –  There is not a ton to say here. McWilliams is undersized, but was a competent CB at UAB before transferring to UCF last season. He should play well in a zone defense, which the Eagles do play a fair amount of, and he could provide depth to the CB position that lost vets like Darius Slay, James Bradberry, and potential Avonte Maddox this offseason.

Round 5 (161) Smael Mondon Jr LB – A Georgia player drafted by the Eagles. What a complete shock. Mondon Jr’s length and speed might make him a pretty good coverage LB. In this current LB room, he probably will not hear his name called all that much initially and will play some special teams. He also possessed some solid aggressiveness in college as a pass rusher and was a pretty good tackler. 

Round 5 (168) Drew Kendall C – Lock up your center to a mega extension and then draft another one. Kendall was essentially a three-year starter at Boston College, and even if Jurgens keeps the center position locked down, Kendall always can move to a guard spot or be depth, something that is always of value on the offensive line. Depth and another enrollee at Stoutland University, what is not to like?

Round 5 (181) Kyle McCord QB –  A QB controversy brewing?! It is always a good idea to bring a QB along in your system. McCord had some super impressive stats with Syracuse last year and was even pretty good as Ohio State’s starter the year prior. McCord led his conference in interceptions and took a fair amount of sacks, which is not ideal, but the success the Eagles had with Tanner McKee shows how they can bring QBs along.

Round 6 (191) Myles Hinton OT – Hinton is gigantic at 6’7, 323lbs. Hinton played sporadically throughout his last two seasons at Michigan. He has the toolkit to be a starting lineman, but obviously, there are some drawbacks. He is slow, and while he was on an elite team like Michigan, he was not a starter there due to his limitations. He will be yet another Stoutland University student.

Round 6 (207) Cameron Williams OT – The third and final enrollee to Stoutland University in 2025, Williams is also a monster at 6’6 317lbs. While it took him a while to get there, Williams was fantastic his senior year with Texas, as he can be truly overpowering, and like Hinton, has the toolkit to play the position. Williams’ ceiling might be a little bit higher, too, as he displayed a little more athleticism and an ability to learn and develop over his time in college. Williams, Kendall, and Hinton will join undergrads Matt Pryor and Tyler Steen, as well as transfer student Kenyon Green, who always appreciate depth in the O-line room to work with Professor Stoutland. 

Round 6 (209) Antwaun Powell-Ryland DE – The last pick, but certainly not least. Antwuan measures out pretty solidly for the DE position. He has been a starter at Virginia Tech after switching to the position two years ago, as he has exploded for 25 sacks over the past two seasons. There are drawbacks, as you do not fall this far without some clear limitations, but there is certainly some interesting upside to a guy who has played so well in such a limited amount at this position so far.