Depth at the safety position was one of the Philadelphia Eagles' concerns entering the 2025 NFL Draft. It didn't help that one of Philly's playmakers, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, was gone (again). Sydney Brown is still young and raw. Reed Blankenship enters a contract season.
Syd and Reed are epected to gobble up a ton of playing time next season. Blankenship is expected to start while it's imagines that Brown will compete with an Eagles rookie for a starting role.
The Birds selected Andrew Mukuba 64th overall during Round 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft. This followed a final NCAA season that ended with him being honored with a Third-team All-SEC mention.
Mukuba was one of ten new Eagles added during the draft, and he is Brown's biggest roadblock to finally winning a full-time starting gig. Andre' Sam and Tristin McCollum are the only other safeties on the roster. At least they were until Philadelphia announced the signing of two more among the nine undrafted rookies acquired.
Eagles officially introduce nine rookie free agents
After quietly adding several undrafted rookie free agents to the nest post-draft, Philly officially put pen to paper and welcomed a stellar UDFA class on the first official day of rookie minicamp. Pay close attention to safety, Maxen Hook. He's a former teammate of Quinyon Mitchell's at the NCAA level.
Both played at Toledo for the Rockets. 'Captain Hook' will now bring his talents to the Delaware Valley, as will another safety, Brandon Johnson, out of Oregon.
Okay, from our understanding, Maxen Hook has never been called 'Captain Hook', like ever. We just thought it was cool, but again, he's someone to watch.
In five seasons at the NCAA level (52 games), he notched 356 tackles, seven interceptions, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and 15 pass breakups.