DeVonta Smith Praises New Philadelphia Eagles Teammate Andrew Mukuba

Across the NFL, OTAs are in full swing, and with the next step of the offseason with training camp right around the corner, some of the Texas Longhorn rookies are starting to get acclimated to their new team and are beginning to stand out to some of their teammates.

In particular, Andrew Mukuba was drafted in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft by the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. The safety received praise from wide receiver DeVonta Smith when he was asked about which rookie has impressed him so far.

"The guy from Texas...the safety," Smith said.

The former Longhorn turned second-round pick joins the Eagles after a very solid senior season, which finished with 69 tackles, five interceptions, and 11 pass deflections in his one season with the Longhorns after playing his first three years with the Clemson Tigers.

Andrew Mukuba Could Play a Big Role for the Philadelphia Eagles Right Away

The Eagles are on the backs of a dominating victory in Super Bowl 59 over the Kansas City Chiefs, and right after a championship season, it's not a surprise for a team to lose some of its key players to either big paydays or any other reason.

One of those moves was trading away safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans back in March. Gardner-Johnson played a key role in the Eagles' road to their second Lombardi trophy, with 59 tackles, six interceptions, and 12 pass deflections, vital production that the Eagles will need to repeat quickly if the goal next season is to repeat as champions.

That's where the addition of Mukuba could become pivotal for the Eagles, as Mukuba may slide in right away into the starting lineup with a similar build to Gardner-Johnson, as both guys stand at 5'11, while Gardner-Johnson is a bit heavier than Mukuba.

The rookie joins an Eagles secondary that, from a season ago, had the sixth-lowest quarterback completion percentage allowed, had the eighth-lowest number of passing touchdowns allowed with 22, and led the NFL with the lowest amount of yards per pass attempt allowed, allowing just six yards per pass attempt from opposing quarterbacks.

Mukuba has the rest of the offseason to continue to develop and grow in the Eagles defense as he might be expected to start right alongside Reed Blankenship as the safety duo in the back end of the defense as the Eagles' season kicks off against their division rival Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 4 which opens the 2025 NFL season.