7 most intriguing rookies to watch during Philadelphia Eagles training camp
The Eagles have star power at just about every position, and unlike past years, it'll be hard for an undrafted rookie to crack the starting lineup, let alone make the 53-man roster. Philadelphia added ten draft picks to their roster in this year's NFL draft, landing Jihaad Campbell near the end of Round 1 to cap things off. Overall, the consensus for Howie Roseman centered on draft value and landing prospects who can develop into starters regardless of the round in which they were selected.
Philadelphia has one of the NFL's most explosive offensive units, but saw eight players depart on defense. Roseman used the Eagles' first five picks to acquire defensive players, resulting in a total of six defenders.
We won't know the actual impact of this year's class until these players hit the field and have time to develop, but on paper, it does appear that Roseman has maintained and created another Super Bowl window.
With Philadelphia set for its first practice of the preseason, we're looking at seven intriguing rookies to watch during Eagles' training camp.
OL Marcus Tate-Clemson
Philadelphia signed Tate (6-5, 321 pounds) after the former Clemson star participated in the Eagles' Rookie Camp earlier this spring. A four-year starter, Tate saw action in 42 games (37 starts), logging 2,502 snaps during his Tigers career. Tate became just the third true freshman offensive lineman in Clemson history to start a season opener in 2021.
Edge Rusher Antwaun Powell-Ryland
The biggest steal could be Virginia Tech pass rusher Antwaun Powell-Ryland. Powell-Ryland has spent the last two seasons at Virginia Tech, having transferred from Florida before the 2023 season.
In 2024, the 6-foot-2, 258-pounder started all 12 games he played, accumulating 43 total tackles and 16 sacks, which ranked third in FBS. Powell-Ryland earned first-team All-ACC and Associated Press All-American third-team honors during his redshirt senior season with the Hokies.
DB Andrew Mukuba
A player who can emulate C.J. Gardner-Johnson's production, Mukuba possesses the coverage skills to play in the slot and the athleticism to control the deep center field as a "robber," utilizing his instincts, burst, and ball skills to make plays.
DB Maxen Hook – Toledo
A former teammate of star cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, Hook was a first-team All-MAC selection in 2024, his third straight season earning the honor. He was the third Toledo Rocket to make an All-MAC team in four seasons.
Hook could be this year's Reed Blankenship after finishing 24th in the nation with 8.92 tackles per game. Hook finished his career with 356 tackles, seven interceptions, and 22 passes defended in 52 games.
OL Hollin Pierce – Rutgers
The 6-8, 341-pound Trenton, New Jersey native was Rutgers' first offensive lineman to earn All-America status since Anthony Davis in 2009. He also earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2024 after starting 13 games at left tackle.
RB ShunDerrick Powell – Central Arkansas
Powell rushed for over 4,000 yards in his collegiate career with 42 total touchdowns. He had eight 100-yard games in 2024. The two-time FCS All-American is a three-down running back and potential special-teams standout.
WR Darius Cooper – Tarleton State
A player to watch, the St. Louis, Missouri native joins the Eagles from Tarleton State, where he earned first-team Associated Press FCS All-America honors in his senior season. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound receiver is athletic and finished second in Division I in receiving yards with 1,450 (the second most in single-season school history) and sixth in touchdowns with 14 (the third most in single-season school history) in 2024. In 48 career games, Cooper accumulated 164 catches for 3,185 yards and 29 touchdowns, averaging 19.4 yards per catch.
QB Kyle McCord
There's been talk of McCord having the talent to unseat Tanner McKee as the Eagles' backup quarterback. Philadelphia loves the deep ball, and last season in the FBS, McCord ranked second in yardage (1,273) and posted a 96.4 PFF grade on throws of at least 20-plus air yards.
OL Myles Hinton
An early candidate for the Eagles' swing tackle position, He started 20 games at right tackle and 11 games at left tackle during five seasons in college.
LB Smael Mondon Jr.
Another Swiss army knife, the former Track and field star was a three-year starter at Georgia, playing inside linebacker, outside linebacker, and slot cornerback. Like Campbell, Mondon Jr. is an elite tackler with a 7.8% missed tackle rate at Georgia.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Falcons WR Darnell Mooney to miss time with shoulder injury
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney will be out a few weeks after injuring a shoulder Thursday during the team's first official practice. Mooney was hurt diving to catch a long pass from quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Mooney, who had 64 receptions for 992 yards and five touchdowns during his first season with Atlanta a year ago, walked off the field with trainers and did not return. Mooney missed Atlanta's season finale with a shoulder injury. It's unclear whether he re-injured the same shoulder Thursday. The Falcons reportedly signed veteran wide receiver DJ Chark earlier Friday, before the nature of Mooney's injury was announced. Atlanta's receiving corps is led by Mooney and Drake London, who is coming off a the first 100-catch season of his career in 2024. ___ AP NFL: The Associated Press
San Francisco Chronicle
18 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Eovaldi pitches 5 scoreless innings as Rangers beat Braves 8-3
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Nathan Eovaldi pitched three-hit ball over five scoreless innings in his first start since the All-Star break and the Texas Rangers beat the Atlanta Braves 8-3 on Friday night. Eovaldi (8-3) threw 53 of his 86 pitches for strikes as Texas won its fourth straight and handed Atlanta a third straight loss. He struck out seven but walked a season-high four. It was also Eovaldi's first start since the Rangers paid him a $100,000 All-Star Game bonus even though the 35-year-old wasn't selected despite a 7-3 record and a 1.58 ERA. He missed his first start after the break — a matchup with AL All-Star starter Tarik Skubal and the Tigers — with back tightness. Sam Haggerty singled leading off the first against Joey Wentz (2-2) before stealing his 10th base and scoring on a sacrifice fly by Marcus Semien for a 1-0 lead. Jonah Heim hit his ninth home run — a two-out shot in the second for a 2-0 lead. Wyatt Langford had a two-out RBI double in the fourth and Sam Haggerty doubled in a run in the fifth for a 4-0 advantage. Three singles, two walks, a hit batter and a sac fly led to four runs in the eighth. Michael Harris II hit his eighth home run — a leadoff shot off Jacob Latz in the seventh to cut it to 4-1. Austin Riley went 0 for 4 in his first game for Atlanta since suffering an abdominal strain on July 11. Key moment Texas had allowed two runs or fewer in a club-record-tying seven straight games until Caleb Boushley surrendered two in the ninth to end the run. Key stat Seager is the only player to have an on-base streak of 24-plus games in each of the last three seasons. Up next ___
San Francisco Chronicle
18 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Schwarber's 1,000th hit is 319th homer, topping McGwire for most to the mark
NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Schwarber topped Mark McGwire for most home runs among a player's first 1,000 hits, hitting long ball No. 319. 'I don't know if that's a good thing or not,' the Philadelphia Phillies slugger said. Ten days after lifting the National League to victory in the first All-Star Game swing-off, Schwarber keeps going deep. He hit a pair of two-run homers in a 12-5 victory over the New York Yankees on Friday night. The first drive, his milestone hit, started the comeback from a 2-0 deficit. He even got the ball back after it was grabbed by a Phillies fan attending with his friends in Yankee Stadium's right-center field seats. 'I saw it on the video and then I see the dude tugging. I'm like: `Oh, they all got Philly stuff on.' That was cool." Schwarber said. He met the trio after the game, gave an autographed ball to each and exchanged hugs. When he went to get a third ball to autograph, one of the three said he just wanted the potential free agent to re-sign with the Phillies. 'You show up to the field every single day trying to get a win at the end of the day and I think our fans kind of latch on to that, right?' Schwarber said. 'It's been fantastic these last 3 1/2 years, four years now, the support that we get from our fans and it means a lot to me that you know that they attach theirselves on our team.' Schwarber tied it at 2 in the fifth against Will Warren when he hit a 413-foot drive on a first-pitch fastball. After J.T. Realmuto's three-run homer off Luke Weaver built a 6-3 lead in a four-run seventh and the Yankees closed within a run in the bottom half, Schwarber sent an Ian Hamilton fastball 380 feet into the right-field seats. Schwarber reached 1,000 hits with eight more homers than McGwire. Schwarber has 36 homers this year, three shy of major league leader Cal Raleigh, and six homers in seven games since he was voted All-Star MVP. He has 33 multi-homer games. 'I don't know where we'd be without him,' Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. 'Comes up with big hit after big hit after big hit. It's just — it's amazing.' Schwarber is 32 and eligible for free agency this fall after completing a $79 million, four-year contract. He homered on all three of his swings in the All-Star Game tiebreaker, and when the second half began Phillies managing partner John Middleton proclaimed: 'We love him. We want to keep him." 'He's been an incredible force all season long,' Realmuto said. 'What he's meant to his team, his offense, it's hard to put in words.' A World Series champion for the 2016 Chicago Cubs, Schwarber has reached 35 homers in all four seasons with the Phillies. He's batting .255 with 82 RBIs and a .960 OPS. He also has almost as many home runs as singles (46). 'I had no clue. I even know it was my 1,000th, to be honest with you,' he said. ___
