Fresh off their Week 2 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, every Eagles rookie showed love to the local community.
As part of the Eagles' Community Tuesday initiative, the rookies hosted a Mobile Jr. Pro introductory football clinic at Rudolph Blankenburg Elementary School in West Philadelphia. The event lasted more than an hour as the students went through seven different drills, where they were coached by Eagles players.
"It's always about having fun and doing something that you love," Jihaad Campbell said to the campers at the end of the event. "You see me with a smile on my face when I'm here because I love football and I love everything about the game – my teammates, my coaches, everything. A lot of people helped me along the way and I'm thankful for that, and I'm going to always have a smile on my face making my dream come true."
The clinic was a unique opportunity for students to work directly with some of the world's best football players. Some aspire to one day be in the NFL themselves, while others embraced the opportunity to learn from people at the top of their field.
"It means a lot, man, just being a rookie, getting to know the community and letting the community know you, that's the biggest part," cornerback Mac McWilliams said. "... It's just a blessing for the kids. I always wanted to be in this position, especially when I was a kid."
Fourth-round defensive tackle Ty Robinson grew up in Nebraska, and the only major sport around was Cornhuskers football. Robinson said that when he was younger, going to events like Monday's clinic helped him fall in love with the game.
Now, he's hoping to continue that from the other side.
"Everything really resonates well with me, being able to give back and just be thankful for the opportunities that I've been given to be put in a place like this to now, where I am able to impact somebody's life," Robinson said. "Maybe I don't know how big of an impact it is, but to them, it's everything. To me, at the end of the day, if that means the world to them, then I'd do it 100 times over."
The event started with students splitting into groups of around 20, and each station had roughly two Eagles players. The drills included weaving through hurdles, catching passes, running through agility ladders, and more.
As the event wrapped up, multiple Eagles took part in a Q&A session. The key message from the group was to find people who will push you and keep on working.
These rookies lived that advice, and now they're in the NFL.
"I had a mentor in my life who helped me. I know I had to be responsible for all of my actions," safety Andrew Mukuba said, less than 24 hours after his game-changing interception off Patrick Mahomes. "You all worked hard today and you had fun, and that is the way it's supposed to be. Keep going. Keep having fun. Keep working hard."
Said Darius Cooper: "Listen to the people who care about you – your parents, especially. They're the ones who love you and want the best for you. It isn't easy but chase your dreams and don't let anybody tell you that you can't reach your dreams. Take care of your grades and just enjoy it all." — Written by Matt Ryan
