Andrew Mukuba went through all of high school and college without nabbing a pick-six, but he wasted no time getting his first in the NFL.

On the opening play of the second quarter in Mukuba's preseason debut, the second-round rookie jumped a route and took the interception 75 yards for a touchdown.

It was the highlight play in the Eagles' 22-13 loss to the Browns on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field and gave Mukuba a taste of a something he'll be chasing.

"That's a feeling that I want to have all the time, so there's going to be many more for sure to come," Mukuba said postgame, noting he was surprised Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw the pass. "But that was a great feeling, to be honest, with the crowd behind me, me making a play. Obviously, the feeling of helping the team get the lead, just everything in itself, that felt good."

After the play, Mukuba celebrated in the end zone and on the sideline with his teammates. His fellow 2025 draftee, first-round pick Jihaad Campbell, was extra amped after the interception.

"I knew it was coming," Campbell said. "I didn't know when, but I knew it was coming as soon as I seen him pick it. I was running with him, and I was really just happy. I was in awe because of how hard he's worked. He's going to just keep continuing to learn and grow."

Mukuba's nose of the ball didn't stop there. Two Browns possessions later, he had a fumble recovery on a muffed handoff, setting up another Eagles score.

His ability to be around the ball and produce takeaways is something that has long impressed Head Coach Nick Sirianni.

"I always thought that he has a knack for the football, how he practices, watching his tape, whether it was at Clemson or at Texas," Sirianni said. "He has the ability to take the ball away as a playmaker. So anytime you go out there and make a play, that's big. ... He was there for the fumble recovery after they had a missed exchange. Well, guys that have a knack for the football just find some ways to be around the football, and I think that's what we saw today."

"We just preach the ball a lot to where it's just like second nature to where you just think 'ball' while you're out there," Mukuba added. "I feel like that's when the play is coming, and that's whenever you get an opportunity to make plays."

Sirianni also noted Mukuba's ability to rebound after a mistake. Earlier in Saturday's game, Mukuba got beat for a long completion, but he came right back with the pick-six and fumble recovery. On Thursday's joint practice with the Browns, he gave up a long touchdown, but closed out the practice with an end zone interception.

That kind of resolve is something Sirianni knows players and coaches must have to be successful in the NFL.

"In this game, in this league, (you have) to … be able to have a short memory and move on so you can have your full focus, so you can coach and play with great detail, and you can play with great effort," Sirianni said.

Mukuba missed time early in Training Camp with a shoulder injury that kept him out of the preseason opener. Saturday was his first opportunity in game action to represent the Eagles, and he certainly made the most of it, even if he knows there are some areas to clean up.

"It felt good, first game back," Mukuba said. "We didn't get the result we wanted, but just coming back from a personal perspective, it felt amazing. But I'm going to keep building, keep getting better. I feel like there were some things I could have worked on as well too, but overall, it felt good to be out there.

"I feel like it's a lot of things on my end I got to clean up. As far as technique and just being in the right place. I mean, I wouldn't say I had a good game, but I had a solid game for sure. I mean, the plays I made were able to back it up, but looking deep down and looking in the mirror, looking at myself, I know for a fact there's things out there I need to go out there and clean up for sure."

— Written by Matt Ryan