ALLENTOWN, Pa. — DeVonta Smith admitted he hasn’t faced rookie Andrew Mukuba yet in Philadelphia Eagles practice. The star wide receiver also revealed he couldn’t say his name right.
“The guy from Texas? The safety,” Smith said with a smile. “I couldn’t say his same, so yea.”
Still, Smith came away impressed with Mukuba during spring workouts. Mukuba is fighting for one of the starting safety jobs in Philadelphia, and the Eagles are hoping the second-round rookie can become a key contributor in Vic Fangio’s defense immediately.
“Just seeing him out there, seeing the way he moves around, things like that,” Smith said at his fourth annual celebrity softball game at Coca-Cola Park this past weekend. “The way he goes about his business.”
Mukuba played at two of the top college programs in the country at Clemson and Texas, initially starting with the Tigers before heading to the Longhorns in his senior year. He was a freshman All-American at Clemson and the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year starting 10 games at safety. After moving around from safety to cornerback over the next two years with the Tigers, Mukuba transferred to his hometown school ahead of the 2024 campaign.
Mukuba went to Clemson because of then-defensive coordinator Brent Venables, but Venables left to take the head coaching job at Oklahoma after Mukuba’s freshman season. Feeling like he wasn’t getting better at Clemson, Mukuba went back home to Texas to reach his full potential as a safety.
Mukuba had five interceptions in his lone year with the Longhorns, earning third-team All-SEC honors. The Eagles selected Mukuba in the second round because of his position versatility and playing ability, which is paramount in the Eagles defense on the back end — especially after trading away C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
“I know he’s about his business,” said Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr., who was Mukuba’s college roommate at Clemson in his freshman year. “He’s a baller and I’m excited to see how he develops.”
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Mukuba, Sydney Brown and Tristin McCollum are the lead contenders to fill the void at the other safety spot opposite Reed Blankenship. Cooper DeJean can also play safety in base formation as a way to get him on the field, but the Eagles ran a base defense less than 10% of the time last season. This is where Mukuba enters the picture.
While Mukuba has position flexibility, the Eagles have strictly played him at safety for now. This is also Mukuba’s best opportunity to get on the field, having the chance to win an open competition.
“He came in, he’s shown his personality, and that’s what you wanna see,” Blankenship said about Mukuba earlier this month. “You want to see a rookie comfortable. He’s asking questions, he’s talking. … He’s checking all the boxes.
“Really excited to see him, too. He’s learning as much as he can.”
The Eagles have worked Mukuba in with the first team during the open portion of minicamp to the media, getting the rookie as many mental reps as he can. When the pads come on, Mukuba will get five weeks to show the Eagles he can start at safety in Week 1.
Until then, the rookie has taken the sponge mentality that Jalen Hurts made popular.
“I’m an unselfish guy. Whatever is needed for the team at that moment,” Mukuba said back in April. “I’m versatile, so whatever is needed at the time. Whether it’s nickel back or safety, I’m just looking forward to it.
“Whatever the coaches feel is the best fit for the team, I’m willing to do that at a high level.”
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Author: Jeff Kerr
July 1, 2025 | 10:40 am
