How did the Eagles get to this point? A three-part series as Training Camp nears. Today: Part 3, The NFL Draft
With fewer than two weeks to go before the 2025 NFL Draft, Eagles Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman talked about the team's preparation for the draft and how the board looked and the possibilities for Philadelphia picking 32nd in the first round. There was a sense of a wait-and-see approach as players were selected.
"I think that you have to be patient, one. You have to allow things to come to you. The chances that you're trading up into the top 10, top 15, top 20 are slim. That's hard to do. So you have to really kind of understand the strengths of the draft," Roseman said. "It's not my best quality, patience, but I think in this situation, understanding the reality of where we are in the draft, what's going to be available to us potentially, and making sure we know those guys backwards and forwards."
As it turned out, the patience paid off.
The Eagles never anticipated that Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell, projected to go in the top 10 to 15 picks, would be on the board through the teens. And then the early 20s. And then all the way to 30. And, finally, to 31, when the Eagles traded up one spot to make the pick to bring Campbell, a South Jersey native, back to his roots and bolster a team with his talents.
"We have a lot of confidence this guy's going to be here and play at a really high level for a long time," Roseman said. "When you're in a draft and you're picking at the end of the first round, you don't have an opportunity to get a top-10 player on your board. A guy who can affect the quarterback, a guy who can affect the passing game. For us, it was a no-brainer. Local kid, great character. So we were really excited to add him."
That was Night 1 of the NFL Draft, and by the time the weekend ended, the Eagles made 10 draft picks – 6 on defense and 4 on offense – added competition throughout the roster, and set themselves up for the 2026 NFL Draft to have another double-digit number of picks.
By the end of the weekend, the Eagles looked at their roster and liked what they saw. There are going to be moves made between now and September 4 when Dallas visits Lincoln Financial Field, but the team's personality is in place.
"Just so fortunate that Howie and I see it the same way and you kind of see that in the reflection of the guys that we have of the types of guys we have. We have a really tough football team," Head Coach Nick Sirianni said. "Why do we have a really tough football team? Because we got tough guys most physically, mentally, and with the pursuit that they have to the football and on the football field."
Toughness is part of the reason the Eagles selected Campbell, the uber-talented player who fits into the defense in a multitude of ways. It's why they loved Texas safety Andrew Mukuba and selected him in Round 2. Nebraska defensive lineman Ty Robinson, the third-round pick, defines toughness. On and on it went as the Eagles addressed cornerback (Mac McWilliams), linebacker (Smael Mondon), edge rusher (Antwaun Powell-Ryland), the offensive line (Drew Kendall, Myles Hinton, Cameron Williams), and quarterback (Kyle McCord).
As the Eagles close in on the start of Training Camp, they envision a scenario where the competition raises every player's game and makes it difficult for Roseman and his personnel department to reduce the roster from its current 91 players to 53 prior to the regular season.
An offseason that started with "taking care of their own" ended with a challenge to every part of the roster. That's just the way the Eagles like it.
Part 1 of the series: Taking care of their own
Part 2 of the series: A strategic approach to Free Agency
