Eagles select Texas safety Andrew Mukuba in the NFL draft’s second round

The Eagles may have found their C.J. Gardner-Johnson replacement.

Picking up right where they left off on Day 2 of the draft Friday night, the team continued reinforcing the defensive side of the ball by taking Texas safety Andrew Mukuba 64th overall.

The 22-year-old was a four-year starter in college, beginning his career with the Clemson Tigers before transferring to the Longhorns for his senior season. He finished last year with five interceptions, 11 pass breakups, and 69 total tackles while serving as a physical presence at the back end of the Texas defense. Over his career, Mukuba tallied six picks and 28 PBUs with 43 total starts.

At 5-foot-11, 186 pounds, Mukuba’s build more closely resembles a nickel cornerback rather than an all-around safety, but his playing style and ball production in college suggest he could replace some of what the Eagles lost by trading Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans last month.

At the conclusion of the draft’s second night, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and coach Nick Sirianni both said Mukuba’s physical playing style made him an ideal fit among a crowded group of talented Day 2 safety prospects.

“This guy can run and hit,” Sirianni said. “He has a knack to take the football away. ... It just oozes off the tape how physical he plays and how tough he plays. He plays with relentless effort and throws his body around and I love that about him.”

Roseman added, “He plays with mentality. This guy, he plays an Eagles brand of football. I think for us, the value fit the need right there.”

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Roseman also downplayed concerns about Mukuba’s playing style translating to the NFL against bigger and stronger players. When asked about his smaller frame on Friday, Mukuba said it hasn’t been a factor for him throughout his career.

“Size, that never really bothered me to be honest,” Mukuba said. “I feel like, no matter how much I weigh or how tall I am or how big I am, I can still go out there and play the game at a physical level with a lot of physicality. That’s never really bothered me. I feel like, despite everything, I still go out there and compete and go out there and play hard, and be as physical as anybody else.”

As Roseman alluded to Friday night, Mukuba should get a chance to earn the starting safety spot vacated by Gardner-Johnson this summer. After dealing the 27-year-old in exchange for reserve offensive lineman Kenyon Green and a pick swap in 2026, the team entered the draft with third-year defensive back Sydney Brown as the leading candidate to occupy the spot opposite Reed Blankenship in the defensive backfield without much competition.

Mukuba should provide exactly that after excelling in a Longhorns system that often deployed him in zone coverages as a post safety. According to Pro Football Focus, he lined up as a deep safety on 71% of his snaps last season and was one of the most effective coverage safeties in college football. He allowed just 10 catches on 23 targets for 7.4 yards per reception.

“It’s really hard to find cover safeties and guys who have the ability to come down and play over the slot,” Roseman said. “[He can] play in the middle of the field, have natural instincts and play the ball. ... He’s got ball skills.

“We felt like, throughout this process, this guy did everything and checked all the boxes. And that was really what we’re looking for from that position.”

Mukuba, who began his career as a slot cornerback with Clemson, did line up there last year for just shy of 10% of his defensive snaps. While he said he’d welcome filling that role for the Eagles if necessary, Roseman said the defensive back would start out as a safety with the team.

“He’s going to start in the safety room,” Roseman said. “And I think at the end of the day, we’re looking at competitions at that position.”

Mukuba started 31 games for Clemson over three seasons before transferring to Texas. When asked Friday why he decided to leave for Austin, Mukuba said he believed the change was necessary to further his development.

“I felt like I wasn’t putting myself in situations or positions to be successful,” Mukuba said. “I’m a guy that’s very, very self-aware, I knew what I had to do, and I knew exactly what situation I wanted to be in for me to be able to succeed. That’s all it came down to.”

Mukuba ended up being the Eagles’ lone addition on the second night of the draft. In the lead-up to the selection at No. 96 overall, Roseman traded back and then out of the third round with subsequent trades. The first swap netted the team a 2026 fifth-round pick from the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for moving back five spots so the Falcons could select Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts.

A few selections later, Roseman dealt the 101st pick and the 134th pick to the Denver Broncos in exchange for picks No. 111, No. 130, and No. 191 on Day 3.

Mukuba will join a young secondary that already features the newly formed cornerback duo of Quinyon Mitchell outside and Cooper DeJean in the slot. By selecting both Mukuba and Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell in the first two rounds of the draft, this offseason marks the third time the Eagles have used their first two draft picks on defensive players.