Eagles’ versatile second-round draft pick Andrew Mukuba moves ‘like a missile’: Mike Mayock Q&A
Mukuba might be overaggressive as a tackler and undersized, but he's another versatile piece for Vic Fangio's defense.
Mike Mayock, the NFL draft analyst, former Raiders general manager, and Philadelphia native tells unCovering the Birds why the Eagles picked Andrew Mukuba, the safety out of Texas who was selected in the second round.
What do you think of that pick overall?
A: It was intriguing because sitting there watching the draft, Trey Amos, the corner from Ole Miss, was kind of sliding further than I thought he would. And you could say the same thing about the safety position about the off-the-ball linebacker position and the Philadelphia Eagles that they’re not taking them in the first round pretty much or high anywhere, [but] things are changing. Howie [Roseman‘s] changing. You know, the world is changing in the NFL.
And as Trey Amos slid, I was wondering whether Howie was going to go get him or not. Ultimately he went No. 61 to Washington, so he almost got there [to No. 64 where the Eagles picked Mukuba]. And I kind of felt like corner was a bigger need than safety in my opinion. But again, and I think Howie and the Eagles emphasize this, it’s not always about need.
I read a quote where he said [on The Rich Eisen Show of the Mukuba pick], “We weren’t trying to draft for need, but when need hits the value of the player, it’s a beautiful thing.” And I felt the same way. Mukuba, there was some mixed opinion on about where his value in the draft is, but what I saw on tape, he was three years at Clemson where he played a lot of nickel. No interceptions in three years at Clemson. [Actually, he had one interception there.] And then he goes in the portal and goes to Texas, they played him all over the place, he had five picks. Actually had six on tape — one of them didn’t count.
So here’s what I would tell you about Mukuba: really aggressive, really tough, like a missile, tackles. Sometimes misses tackles because he’s overaggressive.
» READ MORE: Eagles film: Sizing up Andrew Mukuba at Texas, can he earn a starting spot in Vic Fangio’s secondary?
I think he’s best instinctually with his eyes on the quarterback whether it’s at free safety, strong safety, or they played him a lot where they put him in a “robber” position underneath.
[On one interception] towards the end of the game, it was third-and-32, and he was playing deep half. Came off the half, ball was up in the air, in a congested area he went up and got it. Strong hands. Aggressive kid.
I think they can use him at free safety, strong safety, and nickel. He’s played all three of them. So again, a versatile piece for Vic [Fangio along with first-round linebacker Jihaad Campbell].
If you’re trying to poke a hole in that pick, the only concern looking at him that I would have is that he’s 185, 187 pounds. So his frame is very small, yet his play style is very big. I would be a little worried whether or not he’s going to answer the bell 17 weeks in a row in an NFL season. But he’s shown an ability in college to play every week, so it’s hard to knock him on that.
I don’t know if this is typically what Howie would have done before. As you would expect, [Fangio’s] voice has to be very, very loud in they’re going to listen to him based upon what happened last year, based upon how they were able to take someone like Zack Baun and turn him into a Pro Bowler. What do you think the Vic Fangio factor is here?
A: Obviously, Vic comes in with all these years in the league. He’s got a lot of pelts up on the wall. And then he takes Zack Baun and says, ‘I see something in this kid, where he fits in as an off-the-ball linebacker in my scheme,’ and he gets significant votes for defensive player of the year. I mean, are you kidding me? So when you have those kind of eyes and that kind of background in the NFL, I’m sure Vic does have a pretty big voice and opinion, and he should. He’s earned it.
» READ MORE: What drafting Andrew Mukuba says about Sydney Brown, Vic Fangio, and the Eagles’ future at safety
And to me, those first two picks, the versatility that they have, you take Mukuba, who can play all three — free, strong, and nickel — and you take Cooper DeJean that I think could play all five [including slot and outside cornerback]. My biggest concern on the back end was more who’s lining up opposite [Quinyon] Mitchell? Do they love the Kelee Ringo kid? I don’t know, I’m not in the building. But who’s lining up there? They also lost the backup [Avonte Maddox].
There’s some significant losses at corner. Obviously Howie’s signed Adoree’ Jackson, former first-round pick, he’s started [more than] 80 games so that’s how Howie covered himself, which was really smart. Adoree’ Jackson can still play. But I think Vic’s licking his chops about the versatility of both Cooper DeJean and Mukuba.