Eagles Film Review: Andrew Mukuba should be able to seamlessly step in and replace C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s role

With the 2025 NFL Draft over, it’s time for some film rooms on the Philadelphia Eagles’ rookie class. I will try to get to all 10 draft picks and the UDFAs over the next few weeks. Loads of scouting reports will say very similar things, so I have tried to include film clips to back up everything and I will talk about the player’s fit with the Eagles at the end of the piece. I managed to get the All22 for several rookies, but I can’t share those clips on my Twitter accounts (or I risk getting blocked), so I’ve used a few other accounts here. Let’s go!

You can check out my podcast feed here to hear more from me. If you want to support me further, I have a Patreon linked to my podcast and I will be doing video breakdowns of all the draft picks over the next month.

Previously: Jihaad Campbell

Strengths

+ Some of his plays on the football in pass coverage are outstanding. He has excellent ball skills and can play the ball in the air and through receivers’ hands. He knows how to track the football and make plays.

+ Excellent instincts in both the run and the pass game. He’s a smart player who is rarely caught out by disguise. He’s very reliable on a per-snap basis.

+ He is outstanding in zone coverage. He reads the quarterback well and has a natural recognition for passing concepts. He has a fantastic feel for spacing and how to play in various zone coverages.

+ He plays with a real edge and physicality. He wants to hit offensive players hard! He’s a physical and fearless safety despite his size.

+ He triggers downhill quickly from deep. This is an absolute necessity to play in a Fangio defense!

+ He’s a versatile defensive back with experience covering the slot, blitzing, playing single-high safety, and playing split-safety coverage. This is important in the modern NFL.

+ His former nickel experience shows up in his film. He’s used to navigating traffic in the box. He even has experience setting the edge and being a part of a defense’s run fit. This experience has made him better against the run.

Weaknesses

– He is undersized and looks light on film. He can get blocked by bigger receivers and struggles to get off contact.

He’s not just undersized, but he has short arms, which causes problems when wrapping up. He sometimes leads with his shoulder and can be a little reckless, which may cause injuries.

– He didn’t test particularly well. However, his instincts are usually good enough to cover this up. His lack of agility does show up in man coverage.

– Although he is versatile, he isn’t fantastic in man coverage. There’s a reason he moved from slot corner to safety. He is better from deep than from the slot. I wouldn’t want him coming downhill and playing man coverage too often.

– He is unlikely to be able to handle bigger tight ends in man coverage. Due to his size and length, there is a good chance he will struggle at the catch point.

– Injury history includes multiple MCL sprains and a dislocated elbow.

– He has only had one really productive season. He wasn’t well-known before moving to safety.

Overall

The great thing about ranking players before the draft is that you know I’m not lying! So, I had Mukuba as my 5th-ranked safety and Xavier Watts and Kevin Winston ranked before him. I would have preferred those two picks pre-draft. However, as I said in my pre-draft rankings, I thought Mukuba made sense at pick 64. I gave him a 2nd round grade. I think Mukuba is a better fit than Watts; I just thought Watts was a safer prospect. Here was my pre-draft report:

Overall: At worst, Mukuba should be a passing game specialist due to his outstanding ball skills and instincts. He’s a really good football player. He might struggle to be a full-time player due to his size, but he will have a role in the NFL due to his instincts.

Eagles Thoughts: I’d be very interested in adding Mukuba to this Eagles’ safety room. I think, at the very least, he has the instincts to be very valuable on passing downs. I think he plays the run very well, but the question is simply whether he can do it full-time at 186 pounds with short arms. I think I would take the risk at the end of the 2nd – but it would be a big risk.

Since the draft, I’ve gone back and watched more of Mukuba. This will sound like very basic analysis, but I can summarise my thoughts easily. I think the film is phenomenal. The more I watch, the more I love the fit in Fangio’s defense. He’s an outstanding football player. The simple truth is that I do not know if he can play the way he currently does at his size. It’s not simply a case of being undersized. He has small arms, too, and doesn’t wrap up when he tackles. He hits hard and dominates at the point of attack. The highlight reel hits are great, and I would love to say he can play this way at the next level, but I do not know if he can. It’s boring analysis, but I don’t think anyone can say that his playing style will work at his current size. There is some risk involved with this pick.

However, even if his size limits his effectiveness as a full-time player at the next level, I have no doubt he will be valuable. He is going to be fantastic as a split-safety in this defense. His recognition of route concepts is outstanding. He already knows how to play many of Fangio’s coverages, and he has an instinctive nature of spacing and where the football is going, which is almost impossible to teach. His instincts are off the charts. He has the experience to play in the slot if necessary, and should be able to seamlessly step in and replace C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s role in this defense.

I think he will become the Eagles’ starting safety (unless a free agent is added) and beat out Sydney Brown. I think he will be significantly better in coverage than Brown. I think he will be outstanding in coverage, but he must change how he plays. I expect him to come downhill quickly in the run game, but he will have to learn to wrap up better and stop flying into offensive players as he did in college. He might need to become a bit more passive in the run game and try to slow down elite offensive players to enable other defenders to rally to the football, rather than charging into them head-on and making a highlight reel tackle for loss. I can’t see him hitting elite running backs in space like he did in college. I hope I am wrong! But I think he will have to adapt the way he plays, or he will miss too many tackles. He may also struggle with injuries.

Overall, it is easy to see why Vic Fangio and Howie Roseman love this guy. He is an outstanding fit. I have no doubt he will be a useful player; the question is whether he can become a full-time player playing the same way he did in college. I expect him to become the Eagles’ starting safety and have a good rookie season, but his playing style will have to change unless he can gain a fair bit of weight and muscle. I’m excited to watch him play!

Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you enjoyed this piece, you can find more of my work and podcast here.