Eagles film: Sizing up Andrew Mukuba at Texas, can he earn a starting spot in Vic Fangio’s secondary?

After trading away C.J. Gardner-Johnson earlier this offseason, the Eagles prioritized finding a suitable replacement for the fiery defensive back on Day 2 of the NFL draft.

Enter Andrew Mukuba, a rangy, physical safety from Texas who finished last season with five interceptions, seven pass breakups, and 69 total tackles.

How quickly — if at all — that ball production and physicality translates to the NFL will determine whether Mukuba earns a starting spot in the Eagles secondary next season. He’ll enter training camp competing with third-year safety Sydney Brown for the place alongside Reed Blankenship on the back end of the Eagles’ defense.

» READ MORE: Thumbs up or down on the Eagles drafting Andrew Mukuba? Our writers weigh in.

To determine how he should fit into defensive coordinator Vic Fangio‘s system, let’s review at the tape:

The film of Mukuba‘s tackling is a bit of a roller-coaster experience. At 5-foot-11, 186 pounds, there are some legitimate concerns about how his smaller frame will translate to the NFL.

But any potential struggles will not be for lack of want to on his part. Mukuba has a well-earned reputation for flying downhill and “running the alley” to fill the space between his defensive line and cornerbacks out on the perimeter with bad intentions.

His play personality makes it easy to project him into a young, physical nucleus on defense that the Eagles have already built in Fangio’s gaze. Mukuba also showed a tendency to punch at the ball in college, which means he’s already ahead of the curve going into the takeaway drills Eagles coach Nick Sirianni often puts players through during practice.

Because of the reckless abandon he plays with, Mukuba often did his best work when he arrived just after someone else made initial contact. A handful of his biggest hits last season came when he had the chance to drop his shoulder against an already occupied ballcarrier rather than breaking down and wrapping up himself.

His biggest hit came against Georgia in the SEC championship, when he jarred Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton’s helmet loose near the goal line. Although the hit was initially called for targeting, the flag was eventually picked up after replay review.

Big hits aside, Mukuba‘s size did show up at times negatively. Especially when he needed to make a solo tackle in space, he’d sometimes end up bouncing off of runners rather than laying the punishing hits he often tried for.

At least until he gets the chance to bulk up, it’s hard to imagine Mukuba dropping his shoulder for big hits for the Eagles as much as he did in college.

Even then, there were times at Texas where he struggled to make solo tackles in space. In the same game as his big hit on Stockton, Mukuba was the unsuccessful last line of defense on Georgia running back Trevor Etienne’s 48-yard run into Longhorns territory.

Providing a certain play personality in the run game is only half of what makes Mukuba‘s projection to replace Gardner-Johnson in Fangio’s scheme so sensible.

The ball production and versatility he showed in the pass game should translate right away for the Eagles, who got six interceptions out of Gardner-Johnson last season in addition to the positional flexibility the 27-year-old could provide.

Mukuba had five picks and seven pass breakups for the Longhorns last season while playing from multiple alignments. He started his college career as a slot cornerback at Clemson and showed good instincts in zone coverage playing close to the line of scrimmage as a result.

Still, Mukuba played most of his snaps for the Longhorns as a post safety, which is where he’ll most often line up for the Eagles.

Watching him operate out of a deep alignment, it’s easy to see what Fangio envisions in Mukuba. He’s got the athleticism to be sticky in coverage and a noticeable feel for route concepts to break on the ball when needed.

Mukuba‘s coverage chops even held up against elevated competition last year, although one rep in particular against Michigan star tight end Colston Loveland could be instructive on how he might fare as a smaller safety in the league.

Facing the No. 10 overall pick early in the regular season, Mukuba blanketed Loveland on his initial sail route and even stuck with him on the ensuing scramble drill as the 6-6 tight end turned upfield. Targeted on a jump ball, Mukuba did allow the type of downfield completion that’s hard to entirely fault him for. Still, it’s fair to point out those matchups won’t get much easier for him at the next level.

Watching Mukuba‘s game against Arizona State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal compared to the Week 2 Michigan film, it’s obvious how much further along he grew in the Longhorns scheme. There were a handful of plays where he did what Eagles defensive coaches have called “looking for extra work,” straying from his initial zone responsibility in the flat to cover a deep crossing route developing from the opposite side of the field behind him. (Cooper DeJean‘s pick-six in Super Bowl LIX came from doing something very similar.)

Mukuba was so comfortable in the quarterfinal game, in fact, that he came up with the game-winning interception in overtime thanks to some quick route recognition and an ability to high-point a jump ball.

Overall, Mukuba‘s polish in zone coverage should make him a strong contender to get on the field right away. The biggest hurdle will be his tackling, as he’ll need to overcome his size and play under control more often when coming downhill to earn his coaches’ trust. But he has the willingness, athleticism, and playmaking ability to become a quality starter with some development.