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2025 has been a great year for the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles are still flying high after their dominant victory over the Chiefs in Super Bowl 59. Now they have upgraded the roster after making smart moves during NFL free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft. One NFL draft analyst praised the Eagles for crushing the draft once again.
Mel Kiper handed out draft grades in an article published on Sunday. As is tradition, Kiper praised Eagles general manager Howie Roseman for making some smart moves during the 2025 NFL Draft.
“Roseman went a slightly different direction, however, adding versatile off-ball linebacker Jihaad Campbell, who I thought could go in the Top 20 picks. Campbell can be a chess piece for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, getting a handful of snaps on the edge per game.
“This pick tells me there's some concern about the knee injury Nakobe Dean suffered in January, so Campbell could help fill that void. He's a really solid player.”
Kiper also appreciated Roseman's pick of Andrew Mukuba in the second round.
The Eagles traded away C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Texans earlier this offseason. Kiper believes that Mukuba could play the same role Gardner-Johnson did in Philly's defense.
Kiper also loved the selection of Texas tackle Cameron Williams. He only played one season of college football but has incredible traits. Perhaps the Eagles have another Jordan Mailata on their hands.
Will the Eagles play first-round pick Jihaad Campbell as an edge rusher?
One NFL draft tradition for the Eagles is swiping up talented SEC defenders.
Howie Roseman loves to pick Alabama and Georgia defenders who fall to the bottom of the first round. It is hard to argue with that approach, considering how dominant Philly's defense was in the Super Bowl. First-round pick Jihaad Campbell is the latest in that tradition.
Roseman teased that the Eagles may view Campbell as an edge rusher instead of an off-ball linebacker during an interview on Friday.
“We felt this was one of the best players in the draft. This is a guy who was recruited from IMG by Alabama as a hand-in-the-dirt edge rusher; they had some injuries at Alabama. They played him off the ball,” Roseman said. “You see his explosiveness and his speed. He's got speed; he's got power as an edge rusher.
“He was trained as an edge rusher. And he's got the versatility to play off the ball and blitz from depth and play in space and impact pass coverage as an off-ball linebacker.”
The Eagles lost Josh Sweat in free agency, so there is a clear need for a new edge rusher. It will be interesting to see where Campbell reps during training camp this summer.
