NFL Draft Grades: Eagles earn praise for their 10 picks

Now that the 2025 NFL Draft is over, it’s time for NFL Draft grades.

We’re still working on our own evaluations of the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2025 draft class. In the meantime, here’s a roundup of what the ‘experts’ are saying about the Birds.

Spoiler alert: Howie Roseman is earning favorable marks once again.

Bleeding Green Nation – Community (B)

With nearly 6,000 votes cast thus far (click here if you haven’t weighed in yet), the majority of the BGN community sees this as a “B” draft. I haven’t decided my final grade yet but I think I’m going to land somewhere in the “B” range as well.

Yahoo! Sports – Charles McDonald (B)

Here’s why: The Eagles had an interesting draft. Jihaad Campbell might have been a surprise, but he was projected to go higher. He has the talent to be an instant impact player for the Eagles’ front seven. Andrew Mukuba can potentially fill a big need at safety on the back end. His addition creates a really talented, young defensive back trio with Quinyon Mitchell and Super Bowl star Cooper DeJean. Drafting another linebacker in Georgia’s Smael Mondon Jr. was an interesting move. The Eagles did a lot in this draft to keep the spine of their team strong.

Most interesting pick: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama

Campbell gives the Eagles someone who can do a little bit of everything and is a big, fast, explosive player to play with Zack Baun. What does this mean for Nakobe Dean as he recovers from a torn patellar tendon? Campbell can rush a bit off the edge, but at his peak he can be an impact off-ball linebacker in Vic Fangio’s defense.

PhillyVoice – Jimmy Kempski (A-)

Overall: My overall grade analysis is going to be very simple. The Eagles added 10 players who all make sense from a value standpoint, most of whom also fit needs. Campbell and Mukuba both have good chances of starting as rookies, while Robinson will likely have an immediate role as a rotational defensive lineman who can play multiple spots. The rest of the Eagles’ picks all make sense from a depth and development standpoint. Is this draft likely to be as strong as last year’s when they added Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Jalyx Hunt? I mean, no, but that’s a pretty high bar. But for where they were picking at 32nd overall after winning the Super Bowl, this is a strong collection of talent that makes sense in the short term (in some cases), as well as in the long term.

NFL.com – Chad Reuter (A-)

General manager Howie Roseman can’t stop himself from trading up for a defensive playmaker from the SEC. I can’t blame him for being enticed by Campbell’s all-around game. Mukuba may have been picked earlier than expected but filled a hole left by the traded C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

Robinson’s a nice fit at 5-technique for the Eagles, bringing power and straight-line speed to the position left behind by Milton Williams. Roseman worked the phones to add Day 3 picks for more defensive depth in McWilliams, Mondon and Powell-Ryland.

McCord possesses the skills to win the team’s backup quarterback competition. Kendall (Pete) and Hinton (Chris) are NFL legacies and Williams could surprise as a sixth-round pick at guard or tackle. No offensive skill position players were drafted.

ESPN – Mel Kiper (A-)

I gave the Eagles an A after last year’s draft, but no way did I think their top two picks — cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean — would help power a much-improved defense to a Super Bowl title. That’s how to target a need and get an instant impact.

This year? Well, general manager Howie Roseman’s No. 1 post-free agency priority is to figure out how to replace 1,067 combined snaps from key defensive linemen Josh Sweat and Milton Williams, both of whom left for massive contracts elsewhere. Roseman signed edge rushers Joshua Uche and Azeez Ojulari to one-year deals, but I thought he could go D-line in Round 1. Donovan Ezeiruaku, maybe? Or Darius Alexander?

Roseman went a slightly different direction, however, adding versatile off-ball linebacker Jihaad Campbell, who I thought could go in the top 20 picks. Campbell can be a chess piece for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, getting a handful of snaps on the edge per game. This pick tells me there’s some concern about the knee injury Nakobe Dean suffered in January, so Campbell could help fill that void. He’s a really solid player.

I mentioned in my Friday night recap how much I like safety Andrew Mukuba, whom Philly got at the end of Round 2. He can play the role vacated by the trade of C.J. Gardner-Johnson. He hits like a linebacker.

On Day 3, offensive tackle Cameron Williams could be a steal — if Philly can help him put all of his talent together. He started just one college season. I had him No. 125 on my Big Board. Ty Robinson will join Fangio’s deep front-seven rotation and play multiple positions. Linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. can be a special teams demon. Quarterback Kyle McCord is a solid No. 3 QB. Roseman has done it again, selecting solid players throughout the draft.

FOX Sports – Rob Rang (A-)

In a case of the rich getting richer, Howie Roseman nabbed the draft’s most exciting off-ball linebacker in Jihaad Campbell at No. 31 overall, boldly moving up one pick to assure his addition. It was a move that made a lot of sense, as opponents will have little choice but to get the ball out quickly to running backs and tight ends in trying to avoid the Eagles’ vaunted pass rush, and Campbell offers extraordinary agility in coverage. Roseman returned to the position later in the draft with yet another Georgia standout in Smael Mondon Jr., another fast and physical linebacker who flashes future starting ability.

In between, the Eagles landed a natural cover safety in Andrew Mukuba and two of the more underrated and pro-ready interior linemen of this class, defender Ty Robinson and NFL legacy Drew Kendall at center. These weren’t positions of need for the defending Super Bowl champions, but they only make the roster younger, hungrier and cheaper.

That “always compete” mentality also made quarterback Kyle McCord an intriguing selection in the sixth round. No one is suggesting that he is going to push Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, but he might challenge Tanner McKee and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. McCord flashes starter-caliber accuracy, serving as a late-round investment policy for a team that seemingly has it all.

Pro Football Focus – Staff (A)

1 (31): LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama: Campbell — Campbell oozes athleticism with incredible first-step quickness and speed to cover in space. He needs to develop his anticipation and awareness in coverage, but he lands in the perfect spot to learn alongside Zack Baun. Campbell is an excellent tackler with just a 5.9% missed tackle rate while totaling 30 coverage stops.

2 (64): S Andrew Mukuba, Texas: Mukuba — The Eagles find their replacement for C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the athletic Andrew Mukuba. The Texas product showed great progress in his college career, culminating in a 90.0 overall grade in 2024, with an excellent grade in coverage (89.7). He forced an incompletion on 26.1% of his targets, an incredibly high rate. Mukuba showed terrific ball skills, intercepting five passes and allowing a paltry 12.1 passer rating last season.

4 (111): DI Ty Robinson, Nebraska: Robinson — Robinson is a high-end athlete who plays with a high motor — a strong foundation to build on. He took a clear step forward in 2024, posting a career-best 76.7 PFF grade and recording 43 quarterback pressures. Robinson is a solid depth addition for Vic Fangio’s defense as the Eagles continue to prioritize building out the trenches and keeping the bench deep.

5 (145): CB Mac McWilliams, Central Florida: McWilliams — McWilliams was at his best in zone coverage, posting a coverage grade of 80.5 on those looks. On 38 throws into his coverage last season, he allowed just 21 catches for 133 yards.

5 (161): LB Smael Mondon Jr., Georgia: Mondon — The Georgia pipeline from Athens to Philadelphia continues with this Howie Roseman selection. Mondon is one of the most solid tacklers in this class at linebacker, as he recorded a 7.8% missed tackle rate during his college career.

5 (168): C Drew Kendall, Boston College: Kendall — Kendall earned 70.0-plus PFF run-blocking grades on zone and gap runs while posting a 76.2 PFF pass-blocking grade on true pass sets in 2024.

6 (183): QB Kyle McCord, Syracuse: McCord — PFF analyst Josh Liskiewitz suggested the Eagles could select McCord earlier this week. He was outstanding on deep throws at Syracuse in 2024, ranking second in yardage (1,273) and posting a 96.4 PFF grade on throws of at least 20-plus air yards.

6 (191): T Myles Hinton, Michigan: Hinton — Hinton is a massive human at 6-foot-7 and 323 pounds. He played 572 snaps at left tackle for Michigan in 2024, earning a 69.0 PFF overall grade.

6 (207): T Cameron Williams, Texas: Williams — Ranked 93rd on the PFF Big Board, Williams might be one of Day 3’s biggest steals. He earned an 84.0 grade on zone blocks last season and could become Philadelphia’s long-term answer at right tackle once future Hall-of-Famer Lane Johnson retires.

6 (209): ED Antwaun Powell-Ryland, Virginia Tech: Powell-Ryland — Powell-Ryland is slightly undersized, which impacts his ability to set the edge in run defense, but he shows explosive traits as a pass rusher. He posted a 16.9% pass-rush win rate in 2024, backing up his 14 sacks.

The Ringer – Danny Kelly (A)

The defending champs put together a rock-solid draft, as usual, scooping up value when it fell to find early contributors on both sides of the ball. I loved their pick of Alabama linebacker/edge rusher Jihaad Campbell, a super talented playmaker who fell in the draft due to concerns over a labrum injury. He adds to an already talented defensive front and brings the skill set to line up both off the ball and on the edge. Texas safety Andrew Mukuba is another exciting prospect, bringing tenacity and versatility to the team’s back seven. Nebraska defensive tackle Ty Robinson should add depth to the team’s interior defensive line, while UCF corner Mac McWilliams and Georgia linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. do the same on the back seven. Keep an eye out on the team’s sixth-rounder, Cameron Williams. The former Texas offensive tackle needs some time to develop and clean up some issues in pass pro, but he’s a massive human being with natural movement skills, so of course the Eagles got him. It won’t be surprising if they develop him into a contributor at either guard or tackle down the line.

RECAP

From this roundup, the Eagles earned two “A” grades, four “A-” grades, and two “B” grades.

No one seems to think the Eagles had a bad draft. It’s rather a matter of debating just how good it was.