PHILADELPHIA - As ProFootballTalk.com noted today, only 40 rookies from the 2025 NFL Draft remained unsigned with five-plus weeks still to go before training camps open across the country.
The anomaly is that 30 of those 40 unsigned players are all second-round draft picks, including the 64th overall selection Drew Mukuba, who got plenty of first-team reps for the Eagles during spring work.
The reason for the traffic jam in the second round is that fully guaranteed four-year contracts have reached Day 2 of the draft for the first time.
Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins, the 34th overall pick (No. 2 in the second round), was the breakthrough as the Iowa State product’s camp was able to secure Higgins the first NFL second-round deal that was completely guaranteed.
When that domino fell, Cleveland linebacker Carson Schwesinger had all the leverage in the world to make sure his deal at No. 33 was also fully guaranteed, which did come to fruition.
The 30 picks after Higgins remain unsigned with No. 35 – Seattle safety Nick Emmanwori – and others after him trying to get the full guarantees as far down the draft board as possible.
That won’t reach Mukuba at No. 64. That’s too big a sea change, but because the current NFL Draft setup is essentially a slotting system, most of the agents representing the second-round picks are waiting for more clarity before getting the deals done.
To date, none of this has hampered Mukuba and will not heading to training camp with the Eagles set to report on July 22. However, with vacations forthcoming, it could push things back until a week or so before camp, but there’s no reason to lose sleep over Mukuba’s inevitable deal.
On the field, the rookie Texas product had a nice spring, showing off the coverage skills and football IQ the Eagles felt were a natural fit for Vic Fangio’s defense.
During the three open practices open to reporters, Mukuba worked with his chief competition Sydney Brown when veteran Reed Blankenship sat out the first voluntary OTA.
When Blankenship returned Mukuba mixed with Brown with the first-team, although Brown, a third-year player, got more of the first-team reps.
Whomever wins the job, it will be a tall task to replace the traded C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who had 12 interceptions during his two seasons in Philadelphia (2022, 2024), with the Eagles making the Super Bowl both times.
