Philadelphia Eagles select Smael Mondon Jr. in fifth round of 2025 NFL Draft

The Philadelphia Eagles selected Georgia Bullodgs linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Mondon joins the NFL after spending the last four seasons at Georgia.

Mondon began playing in Athens, Georgia in 2021. During that season, Monday played in all 15 games as a reserve and helped the team win the national championship. In 2022, Mondon started 13 games and recorded a team-high 76 tackles. He also had eight tackles for loss, one sack and an interception to helped the Bulldogs win their second consecutive national title.

During the 2023 season, Monday played in 13 games with 11 starts are registered 68 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks and a pass break up. Last year, Monday played in 10 games with eight starts and tallied 57 tackles, 3.5 tacklrs for loss, three sacks and three passes defened. He missed four games due to a left leg injury.

Before the Senior Bowl, Smael Mondon Jr. spoke to Justin Melo of The Draft Network about self-scouting himself. “ I would say I’m a versatile athlete. I’m very effective in space,” he said. “I think this past season, I showed a lot of development inside the box. This was probably my best season playing near the line of scrimmage, especially when I came back late in the season after the few games I missed.”

Mondon played high school football at Paulding County in Dallas, Georgia. He ranked as the the No. 27 overall prospect and the No. 1 linebacker in the Class of 2021, according to the On3 Industry Rankings,  a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Smael Mondon Jr.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com gave an analysis of Mondon for his draft profile. He projected Mondon to be selected in the third round of the draft.

“Mondon is physical and can run. He’s quick to flow downhill and challenge blocks with good pop,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s inconsistent to diagnose and flow accurately to his fits, but he has good pursuit speed to range and tackle to the sidelines.

“He pursues the action with focus and leverage. Mondon becomes tackle-ready quickly in space. He’s effective on passing downs with good coverage and blitz talent. The run game instincts could slow him early in his career, but he’s a battle-tested, three-down option with special teams value and starting potential.”