In the case of the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award, it might be a case of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean learning to walk so rookie safety Andrew Mukuba could run.
While Mitchell and DeJean mostly moved in silence and violence as rookies in 2024 — until Super Bowl LIX, that is — the focus is on Mukuba from the very start of the season as a rookie starting safety for the defending world champions.
That’s why ESPN’s Matt Miller picked Mukuba to stun the league and win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors this season.
Mukuba was a second round pick (No. 64 overall) in the 2025 NFL draft after earning All-SEC honors at Texas in 2024 and All-ACC honors at Clemson in 2023.
“Mukuba lasted until pick No. 64 in the draft but was a playmaker in 2024 at Texas with five interceptions and a forced fumble,” Miller wrote on August 29. “It seems he’s picking up right where he left off as a hard-hitting, field-flipping safety with positional versatility.”
Mukuba Went Electric in Preseason Outing
Mukuba delivered a signature performance in his team’s Week 2 preseason game against the Cleveland Browns on August 16 with a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown off rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
With Gabriel scrambling toward the Browns sideline, Mukuba picked off the pass in the flat, made one cut and went into the end zone untouched. Mukuba added a fumble recovery in the second quarter after a bumbled handoff by Gabriel.
“ANDREW MUKUBA PICK 6,” Philly Sports Sufferer wrote on their official X account. “HE IS A BALLER HOWIE DRAFTED A GEM.”
ESPN’s Mike Clay predicted Mukuba, 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, would be an impact player for the Eagles from his first season and would finish in the Top 5 among NFL rookies in both tackles and interceptions.
“In Philadelphia, second-rounder Mukuba has a real shot to replace C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who was traded to the Texans,” Clay wrote on May 21.
Eagles Follow Defensive Pattern in NFL Draft
The Eagles seemed to follow “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” philosophy in the 2025 NFL draft in that it was the second consecutive year they used their first 2 picks on defensive players with Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell in the first round (No. 32 overall) followed by Mukuba.
It’s impossible to argue with how successful that was in 2024, when they took a pair of cornerbacks with Mitchell in the first round and DeJean in the second round.
Both players became full time starters, with Mitchell taking over as Philadelphia’s shutdown corner and DeJean taking over the nickelback role.
Headed into their second NFL seasons, they’re both considered among the NFL’s very best at their positions.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton called Mitchell one of the NFL’s truly foundational players and a franchise building block for the Eagles, who are still 2 full seasons away from considering contract extensions for either Mitchell or DeJean.
“The Philadelphia Eagles have two promising second-year players in their secondary. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean finished within the top four in Defensive Rookie of the Year votes,” Moton wrote on July 5. “As defensive coordinator Vic Fangio ponders a more versatile role for DeJean, who could see more snaps at safety in the upcoming term, Mitchell is locked into a starting role at a premium position.”
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