When the Eagles took Andrew Mukuba with the 64th overall pick in April, they broke a long streak of practically ignoring the position early in the draft. They hadn’t used a second-round pick on a safety since taking Nate Allen 37th overall in 2010 – 15 years earlier.
And as most Eagles fans know, the organization has never in the Super Bowl era used a first-round pick on a safety.
Like every other Eagles safety drafted in the past 20 years, Allen didn’t stick around long enough to see a long-term extension – he signed a one-year deal after his rookie deal expired – and never really fulfilled the potential that accompanied being the team’s first second-round safety since Brian Dawkins in 1996.
And like every safety the Eagles have drafted since they let Dawkins walk out the door after 2008, (one of the most controversial decisions in team history) Allen and the others could never come close to playing at the level Dawkins did for 13 seasons in Philadelphia en route to a Hall of Fame career.
The past 20 years of Eagles drafted safeties is an eyesore list filled with busts, misfires, and at best, some mediocre selections who semi-outperformed their low draft stock. Some didn’t see the end of their rookie deal. Some didn’t even see Year 2. And, yes, there are even some who didn’t make the team as a rookie.
The common bond among all is that none signed a second contract that was beyond a one-year deal.
So while Mukuba has broken one streak just by being drafted in the second round, another longer and more significant streak remains to be broken. Can the Texas product play well enough over the next three or four seasons to earn the elusive long-term extension that those who came before him over the past 20 years could not?
For those who need a reminder, here’s the history Mukuba is battling – a year-by-year look at Eagles drafted safeties since 2005 and how they fared:
Sean Considine, Iowa, Round 4 (102)
The undersized Iowa product ended up playing eight seasons in the NFL but just four with the Eagles, and he only started 17 games over a two-year span. He wasn’t terrible, but nine of those starts came in 2006 because of an injury to Michael Lewis. He lost his starting job halfway through 2007 to Quintin Mikell, although no shame in that because Mikell turned into a very good safety who made the All-Pro second team. Considine played for four different teams from 2009-2012, starting just 11 games.Verdict: Not a terrible miss, but not a hit.
C.J. Gaddis, Clemson, Round 5 (159)
Quintin Demps, UTEP, Round 4 (117)
For a minute, it looked like Demps was on his way to being a productive Eagles safety. It helped that he came out of UTEP with some serious ballhawk skills – 17 career INTs, two of which were returned 100 yards – and 4.3 speed. He entered his rookie season as the top kick returner, averaged more than 25 yards per return as a rookie and brought another back 100 yards against the Ravens. But injuries limited him to just nine games in 2009, and although he did get his first INT that season – off Eli Manning – Demps never really showed that playmaking talent from college and didn’t stick around for a third season. He did, however, play seven more seasons with four different teams and started 31 games between 2013-2016, so maybe the Eagles should’ve held onto the late bloomer.Verdict: Ended up having a decent career but the Eagles didn’t have patience, so it’s miss on both draft and development.
Victor Harris, Virginia Tech, Round 5 (157)
Funny story about this guy. His nickname was “Macho,” but special teams coordinator Ted Daisher said he wouldn’t call him “Macho” until he earned it. Well, Harris ended up starting eight games as a rookie in place of an injured Sean Jones but didn’t do much to impress his coaches and didn’t see a second season with the Eagles. Harris had been a playmaking corner at Virginia Tech but was moved to safety when the Eagles drafted him. The Birds moved him back to corner in 2010 but returned him to safety before waiving him before the season. He tried to hang on with Washington but was out of the NFL by 2011 and spent the next few seasons playing in Canada. Verdict: You’re hoping a fifth-round pick develops into at least a backup/special teamer, and Harris didn’t. Miss.
MORE EAGLESEagles player review: WR Jahan Dotson edition10 reasons the Cowboys will be a dumpster fire this seasonBest slot CB in NFL? Eagles’ Cooper DeJean gets the nod from an ESPN analyst
Nate Allen, South Florida, Round 2 (37)
As Eagles drafted safeties go, Coleman is one of the team’s best success stories – sort of. From a four-year span between 2009-2013, Coleman’s 29 starts at safety are second only to Nate Allen’s. But the Eagles weren’t very good during his tenure – one of the reasons he started so many games – and didn’t win a single playoff game in his time with them. He eventually joined Andy Reid in Kansas City in 2014 and rejoined Sean McDermott with the Panthers in 2015, making the Pro Bowl that season as Carolina went to the Super Bowl. He finished with 83 career starts. Definitely one of the better safeties drafted by the Eagles, but played his best ball elsewhere.Verdict: Based on his draft status, it was a good pick, but the Eagles needed more at the position overall.
Hoo boy, did the Eagles regret this one, like almost immediately. First off, it was viewed as a major reach when they used a high second-rounder on the Temple product who was more known as a hard-hitter with limited coverage acumen at a time when the NFL was trending toward advanced passing attacks and away from the box safety.
That transformation alone set up Jarrett for failure, and fail he did. Despite being the 54th overall pick – ahead of guys like Rodney Hudson, Torrey Smith, Justin Houston, and DeMarco Murray – Jarrett was inactive for four of his first five games as a rookie. He couldn’t beat out Colt Anderson or Jarrad Page to start opposite Nate Allen. He made just two starts as a rookie – in a Week 10 loss to Arizona and a meaningless season finale win over Washington that got the Eagles to 8-8 in a year of Super Bowl expectations. Jarrett played just one game in his second season and couldn’t stick around to see a third. He latched on with the Jets, starting seven of his 34 games with them, before exiting the league. Last I saw him two years ago, he was the Player Affairs Manager for the Panthers.Verdict: Bad, bad, bad miss. Put this one on the organization more than the player.
Jordan Poyer, Oregon State, Round 7 (218)
Chip Kelly loved his West Coast prospects and seemed high on Reynolds, a Stanford product picked on Day 3. But Reynolds, known as a hard hitter who won the Jack Tatum award in college, never came close to panning out and didn’t even make the 53-man roster as a rookie. He signed to the practice squad and tried to make the 53 the next summer, but failed again and re-signed to the practice squad again. Reynolds finally found his way onto the 53 in November of 2015 – even got an interception vs. Buffalo – but failed to make the team in 2016 and signed with the Browns’ practice squad. He eventually got signed to the 53 in Cleveland and started seven of his 10 games in 2016 but the following August was waived/injured by the Browns and never again played in the NFL.Verdict: As mentioned, fifth-round hits need to at least be role players and/or core special-teamers, and Reynolds was neither.
Do we really consider him a safety? Mills was a terrific story as a corner, which is where the Eagles played him from 2016-2020 after picking him in the seventh round out of LSU. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz preferred tall, long corners and Mills’ 6-foot, 200-pound frame fit the bill. Mills started 15 games for the 2017 Super Bowl champs and gave the fan base this famous PBU in the NFC Championship game vs. Atlanta:
Verdict: Not a safety outside of one abysmal season, so not a safety hit.