Eagles Getting Closer To Doing Something That's Never Been Done In Their History

Jalen Carter came close two years ago. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean came close last year.  Maybe this year it will happen for the first time in the Eagles’ long history, and one of their rookies will be the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Carter was a runner-up in 2023 to the Texans’ Will Anderson and Mitchell was second to the Rams’ Jared Verse last season, with DeJean coming in fourth.

The Eagles spent their first five picks on defense in last spring’s NFL draft. It’s the first two picks, though, that probably have the better shot at doing it, just like last year’s 1-2 draft punch of Mitchell and DeJean.

Those two picks are Jihaad Campbell and Drew Mukuba. That’s not to say, that fourth-round pick, defensive tackle Ty Robinson can’t wedge his way into the conversation. After all, the Rams’ Braden Fiske was a defensive tackle that ended third in last year’s rookie of the year balloting, though he was a second-round pick.

Perhaps one or both fifth-round Eagles picks can have a season that could vault them to the top of the rookie of the year voting – corner Mac McWilliams and linebacker Smael Mondon, Jr.

Campbell and Mukuba will probably have more opportunity, and already DeVonta Smith likes what he has seen from Mukuba, the safety from Texas, who could very well wind up winning the starting job beside Reed Blankenship.

“Just seeing him out there, seeing the way he moves around, things like that, the way he goes about his business,” said Smith.

Blankenship also likes what he has seen from Mukuba.

“He’s great,” he said. “I feel we bring a lot of guys in that have the same personality; kind of what allows that room to be open. He came in, he’s shown his personality, and that’s what you wanna see.

“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.”

As for Campbell, he may need to take the route DeJean took last season. DeJean’s training camp got a late start due to a hamstring injury, and he wasn’t inserted into the starting lineup until after the Eagles’ Week 5 bye. Campbell is rehabbing from March labrum surgery.

If he’s going to put himself in rookie of the year conversation, he will need to pack a lot of impact into a shorter time frame. DeJean did it, so maybe Campbell can, too.

“In the meeting room, I'd say he's picking up the defense,” said second-year linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, Jr. “He's really learning, learning a lot in his mental reps when we are out there at practice because he's out there on the side, getting the call from the coach and looking at his position and trying to get those mental reps so he's definitely trying to get the most out of what he can do right now.”