Nothing To Worry About: Eagles' Rookie Remains Unsigned For Good Reason

Of all the Eagles’ rookies, second-round pick Andrew Mukuba is the likeliest Day 1 contributor. 

The context to that is No. 31 overall pick Jihaad Campbell is still recovering from March labrum surgery, and his timeline for clearance remains uncertain. 

That said, Mukuba’s range and coverage skills look to be tailor-made for what defensive coordinator Vic Fangio wants from his safeties, and the Texas product was thrown into the fire at the first offseason OTA practice open to reporters.

Mukuba got plenty of first-team reps opposite Sydney Brown (Reed Blankenship was not present), and was also paired with Tristin McCollum and Lewis Cine at times, as Fangio and secondary coach Christian Parker try to uncover what they have on the back end.

Mukuba, the 64th overall pick in April, also remains unsigned, something that still makes fans uneasy even though the current CBA has essentially removed “holdouts” from the rookie equation in the NFL.

Currently, 30 of the 32 second-round picks are unsigned, which is an anomaly, so this seems like a good time to explain why.

It all started when Houston signed the No. 34 overall pick, Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins, to a fully guaranteed contract, the first ever for a second-round pick.   

That was good news for UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger, the first pick in the second round by Cleveland, who also got a fully guaranteed deal.

The rest of the second round is waiting, trying to extend those full guarantees as far down as possible.

It isn’t going to reach Mukuba at No. 64, the last pick in the second round, but the framework is essentially a slotting system, so until things get a little clearer at the bottom of the second round, things will move a little slower with the rookie.

Houston offensive tackle Blake Fisher was able to extend three of the four years on his rookie contract to full guarantees last year at No. 59, so that might be a more realistic goal for Mukuba and his camp. 

Campbell also remains unsigned, and that's of even lesser concern because he will be getting a fully guaranteed deal. Typically, any debates with first-round picks are over things like offset language and the timing of bonuses, and those issues become more prevalent later in the round.