PHILADELPHIA – Most highly touted draft picks have a long list of individual accomplishments achieved in high school and college. Surprisingly for rookie safety Andrew Mukuba, he checked off a box for the first time on Saturday in a 22-13 Eagles loss to the Browns in the second preseason game.
In the second quarter, the Eagles’ second-round pick intercepted a pass from Cleveland’s rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel, taking it to the house for a 75-yard pick-6 to give the Eagles their first lead of the game. According to the safety, it was the first time he has ever turned an interception into points in a game at any highly competitive level.
“That was my first ever pick-6, so that was a great feeling,” Mukuba said. “But I was just in the right position, read my assignment, read my keys, got a run-pass key. Then I was right there where the quarterback was looking at, and I was surprised he was throwing it because I was literally right there. So, he ended up throwing it. And as soon as I caught it, I already had it in my mind that I got to get in the end zone.“
Mukuba recalled that the closest he came to accomplishing the feat was in a game last season when he led the Texas Longhorns and the entire SEC with five interceptions.
“Last year against Florida, I got tackled but that was the closest. He came from the side and tackled me. I should have put a move on him to get in the endzone,” Mukuba recalled.
Despite a scattered crowd on a muggy Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field and the fact that the stats do not officially count, Mukuba recognized that it was a special moment in his young career.
“That’s a feeling that I want to have all the time,” Mukuba said smiling about his touchdown. “There’s going to be many more, for sure, to come. That was a great feeling to be honest with you, with the crowd behind me, me making a play. Obviously, the feeling of helping the team get the lead.”
Mukuba said he kept the football and intends to frame it.
Potentially filling the turnover void
For Mukuba and the Eagles, they both certainly hope there will be plenty more turnovers and footballs to frame as the rookie continues to battle with Sydney Brown and Tristin McCollum for the second starting safety spot alongside Reed Blankenship.
Last season, the Eagles had 13 interceptions in the regular season with 10 coming from the safeties. Blankenship had four and C.J. Gardner-Johnson led the team with six. In the two seasons that Gardner-Johnson was an Eagle in 2022 and 2024 he combined for 12 interceptions. He had an even six in each season, tied for the league lead in 2022 in that category. Coincidentally, the Eagles made it to the Super Bowl both seasons.
With Gardner-Johnson’s ability be around the football and to pick off opposing quarterbacks, the Eagles had combined for 30 interceptions in those two years. In 2023 without CJGJ, the Eagles had just nine interceptions collectively with Blankenship leading the way with three.
The Eagles used their second-round pick on Mukuba, one of the top ranked safeties in this year’s draft class, in hopes to replace Gardner-Johnson who was traded to Houston in a somewhat surprising deal earlier in the summer.
“I always thought he has a knack for the football,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said of Mukuba.
“Watching how he practices, watching his tape whether it was at Clemson or at Texas, he has the ability to take the ball away as a playmaker. Any time you go out there and make a play, that’s big.”
Fellow draft classmate Jihaad Campbell, who had a sack on the second play of the game, was running down the field with Mukuba en route to the end zone had confidence the safety would make a big play.
“I knew it was coming,” Campbell said. “I didn’t know when, but I knew it was coming. As soon as I saw him pick it, I was running with him and I was happy because I know how hard he’s worked. He is just going to continue to grow.”
Later in the second quarter, Mukuba found himself once again near the football when the Browns had a sloppy handoff. The safety came barreling and pounced on the loose football for a fumble recovery.
“Even the one when he was there for the fumble recovery after they had a missed exchange. Guys that have a knack for the football just find ways to be around the football and I think that’s what we saw today,” Sirianni said on the young safety.
Is Mukuba now the frontrunner?
It is hard to believe that the showing Mukuba had Saturday does not slot him ahead of Sydney Brown for the starting spot on top of the draft capital the team spent on the Zimbabwe native. Yet entering Saturday, it seemed Brown was the leader in the position battle due to his solid performance this summer taking the lion share of the first team snaps at training camp with Mukuba missing a chunk of practice time with a shoulder injury.
However, Sirianni still wants to see the group of safeties continue to battle it out.
“I feel like we have good depth. I know you guys are waiting for us to be like, ‘Here’s the guy who’s starting.’ I think it’s also a good thing that we have a bunch of guys that we feel good about that are still battling all the way until the end,” Sirianni said.
Sirianni added: “All those things (creating turnovers) play into it (deciding on starters). You know how much we stress the ball and taking care of the football and taking the football away. So that always goes into it.“
For Mukuba, he wants to build off his impressive performance and continue pushing to be in the starting lineup in the highly anticipated season opener against the Cowboys in a little over two weeks.
“It gives me a lot of confidence. Especially, with the injury and everything,” Mukuba said. “Just going out there and know I can go out there and compete and perform. Moving forward, knowing that I can do whatever I put my mind to, I can make whatever play I need to make.”
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
