What drafting Andrew Mukuba says about Sydney Brown, Vic Fangio, and the Eagles’ future at safety

Just two years ago, the Eagles selected a safety in the third round of the NFL draft and it was sort of big news. It was the first time in 12 years that they had expended a pick as high on the position, and Howie Roseman raved about the prospect.

“Sydney Brown was a passion player for a lot of people in this organization,” the Eagles general manager said then, adding later: “I think our fans are going to love Sydney Brown.”

Time moves fast in the NFL, and certainly with Super Bowl-winning franchises, and the Eagles needed only two trips around the sun before drafting another safety — this one just two slots earlier than with Brown — in the second round on Friday night.

They took Andrew Mukuba with the No. 64 overall selection. Though Roseman and coach Nick Sirianni guaranteed little during a news conference at NovaCare Complex, the Texas product may already have the inside track on the vacancy at safety after C.J. Gardner-Johnson was traded last month.

“I think, for us, kind of the value fit the need right there,” Roseman said. “And we felt like throughout this process [Mukuba] just did everything, checked all the boxes, and that was really what we’re looking for from that position.”

The Eagles didn’t necessarily need to move Gardner-Johnson in March. He was under contract for another two years at a reasonable price. But Roseman said difficult fiscal decisions had to be made and that youngsters like Brown would be given the opportunity to deliver on the team’s original investment.

He didn’t hand the third-year safety the job, and in fact, he said competition would be added. It comes as no surprise that a safety was drafted, even if there are valid concerns about Mukuba’s lack of size and experience at the spot.

» READ MORE: Young Eagles Cooper DeJean, Moro Ojomo, Jalyx Hunt, and Sydney Brown could be called on to contribute more

But rarely has Roseman in recent drafts appeared to reach early to fill a need as much as he did with Mukuba. That’s not a diss. It’s just an educated guess about the process because Gardner-Johnson was jettisoned, and Brown has seemingly fallen out of favor just two years after the “red star” prospect was drafted.

It happens. And it likely happened because Brown arrived before Vic Fangio became defensive coordinator last offseason. Fangio hasn’t been publicly critical of Brown. But his depth chart last season spoke volumes with Brown buried behind Tristin McCollum and Avonte Maddox even after he was fully recovered from an ACL injury.

Mukuba wouldn’t be here unless he had the Fangio seal of approval. And what Fangio wants, he should get after the Don of DCs turned the Eagles defense around in one season and helped win another Super Bowl.

» READ MORE: Vic Fangio quietly savors a Super Bowl masterpiece

While drafting involves many variables, Mukuba seems more like a coach’s prospect than a scout’s.

“It’s really hard to find cover safeties and guys that have the ability to come down and play over the slot, play in the middle of the field, have natural instincts, and play the ball,” Roseman said. “He was a slot corner at Clemson before he transferred to Texas. He’s an Austin kid.”

Brown and Mukuba are different in many ways, from their football experiences and their styles of play to their instincts and their size. The former mostly played box safety in college, while the latter went from slot corner to post safety. The former moves like a missile around the field, while the latter floats.

The former is 5-foot-10, 211 pounds of hulking muscle, while the latter is a lean 5-11, 186.

Mukuba is in the lowest percentiles among safeties in his draft class when it comes to his height (26th) and weight (first). If he plays in the NFL as listed, he would be one of the smallest safeties in recent memory.

Of the 37 NFL safeties who played more than 80% of their teams’ snaps last season, only four were listed under both 6 feet and 200 pounds. No one weighed less than 190, although the Eagles would conceivably be able to add mass to Mukuba’s frame.

“Size — that never really bothered me, to be honest,” Mukuba said during a Zoom call. “I feel like how much I weigh or how big I am, I can still go out there and play the game at a physical level.”

The tape supports his claim. Mukuba wasn’t afraid to throw his body around against some of the top college programs. But could that make him more susceptible to injury going up against bigger players in the pros?

“I think that’s a concern with every player you’re drafting,” Roseman said. “It’s a physical game and injuries happen. The guy’s been durable.”

Roseman then knocked his right fist on the podium. It may be apples to oranges, but linebacker Nakobe Dean faced similar questions about being undersized, and he has struggled to stay healthy in the NFL.

The bigger size issue with Mukuba may be his comparatively small arms (6th percentile) and hands (23rd). He’s built more like a slot corner. And it’s possible he ends up there if Cooper DeJean moves outside. But Roseman said Mukuba would start in the safety room.

» READ MORE: Five things to know about Eagles second-round pick Andrew Mukuba

Either way, he’ll need to cover receivers in man-to-man situations and tackle ballcarriers in space. He thrived in both scenarios in Texas. Last season, he had five interceptions and one forced fumble.

“He has a knack to take the football away,” Sirianni said. “You can tell the football is constantly on his mind whether it’s in coverage or it’s coming after in a tackle, and being the second man in on a tackle and getting a strip attempt. It’s constantly on his mind.

“I just love tough players. It just oozes off the tape how physical he plays, how tough he plays, how he plays with relentless effort and throws his body around.”

The Eagles clearly did their homework on Mukuba, who was born in Zimbabwe when his parents sought refuge from the Congo, and eventually immigrated to the U.S. when he was 9 years old after being granted asylum. It’s quite possible he received the “red star” scouts reserve for high-character prospects.

“He plays [with] a mentality,” Roseman said. “This guy — he plays an Eagles brand of football.”

» READ MORE: Inside the eight-cylinder mind of Vic Fangio

Mukuba, overall, was the third safety drafted after Malaki Starks went to the Ravens at No. 27 in the first round on Thursday and Nick Emmanwori went to the Seahawks at No. 35 early in the second round on Friday.

Roseman said the Eagles considered moving up for “a couple players” in the second round, but it was unclear if Emmanwori would have been one of the targets. Three safeties went after Mukuba in the third round: Kevin Winston of Penn State, Jonas Sanker of Virginia, and Xavier Watts of Notre Dame.

Time will tell which team fared best in their evaluations.

Brown looked promising at the time of his drafting. He may still pan out. The knee injury set him back. He’s also not Mukuba’s only competition for the starting spot opposite Reed Blankenship. Lewis Cine was added late last season. McCollum returns. And it’s possible Roseman includes a veteran in the mix.

“I liked the room before we even got into the draft tonight,” Sirianni said.

Fangio likes it more now.