Drew Mukuba’s first pick-six lifts the rookie back into the Eagles’ safety competition

For someone who’s never had a pick-six before, Drew Mukuba sounded confident he would experience it again.

“That’s a feeling that I want to have all the time,” Mukuba said of the interception he returned 75 yards for a touchdown. “There’s going to be many more, for sure, to come.”

Youthful optimism? Perhaps. But it’s hard to doubt the rookie safety after recording two turnovers — a fumble recovery came two drives later — in his first NFL action. The Eagles lost an otherwise forgettable preseason game to the Browns, 22-13, on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field.

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But Mukuba’s debut was the silver lining. Even if Cleveland might have gift-wrapped the takeaways, he still found his way to the ball and finished.

“Guys that have a knack for the football just find ways to be around the football,” coach Nick Sirianni said of Mukuba, “and I think that’s what we saw today.”

Mukuba seemed to be slipping out of the competition for the Eagles’ open safety spot after missing about a week with a shoulder injury. Sydney Brown had been taking the majority of practice repetitions at the position.

But Mukuba strengthened his case with one preseason game left. He wasn’t perfect. But neither was Brown and others vying for the job. The race at least will be run until the season opener, unless general manager Howie Roseman has another safety up his sleeve.

“I know you guys are waiting for us to be like, ‘Here’s the guy who’s starting,’” Sirianni said. “I think it’s also a good thing that we have a bunch of guys that we feel good about that are still battling all the way until the end.”

Mukuba and Brown started in the back with safety Reed Blankenship and other locked-in regulars sitting out the preseason, per usual. The defensive personnel included potential starters contending for spots at cornerback and inside linebacker. But the unit consisted mostly of second-teamers, and it wasn’t pretty at the start.

Rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel guided the Browns to a touchdown to open the game and drove them again into Eagles territory on the next series. Mukuba was in coverage when receiver Cedric Tillman caught an 18-yard pass over the middle. He said he should have played outside leverage knowing he had inside help.

“I could have done a better job on that play,” Mukuba said. “Overall, I feel like it’s a lot of things from my end I got to clean up, as far as technique and then just eyes being in the right place.”

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But just three plays later to open the second quarter, Mukuba was exactly where he needed to be as Gabriel rolled to his left. He came down from the post, gave Diontae Johnson a little bump, and jumped an ill-fated pass to the receiver.

He went the other way, evaded Gabriel with help from fellow rookie Jihaad Campbell, and took the return to the house, for what he said was his first pick-six as far back as he could remember.

“I was surprised he was throwing that, because I was literally right there,” Mukuba said. “So he ended up throwing it, and soon as I caught it, and already had in my mind, ‘I got to get in the end zone.’”

His teammates, Brown among them, swarmed Mukuba as he ran to the sideline. He chugged a bottle of what he thought was water and returned to the field for the Browns’ ensuing drive. He lasted only a few plays, ran off, and vomited on the bench.

“I just drunk the wrong thing,” Mukuba said. “I thought I was drinking water, but I drank some Right Stuff [hydration fluid]. But … I was all right. I got right back out there.”

The Browns then kicked a field goal to take the lead, 9-7, but their next possession ended with another turnover when Gabriel and running back Pierre Strong botched the handoff. Mukuba picked up the loose ball and tried to take off, but he fell forward to the ground.

“I was trying to run with it and get back in the end zone,” Mukuba said. “But somebody obviously touched me until I was down. But, same thing: see ball, get ball.”

As simple as that sounds, Mukuba knows turnovers don’t come so easily. He had only one interception in his first three collegiate seasons — 35 games — at Clemson. He said altering his mindset when he transferred to Texas led to a conference-best five interceptions — one of which ended just yards away from the end zone vs. Florida.

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The Eagles emphasized Mukuba’s ability to not only be around the ball, but to catch it, when they drafted him in the second round. It may help offset what the 186-pound safety lacks in size, or even experience, if coordinator Vic Fangio is looking for ways to replace the six interceptions that left with safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the offseason.

Brown has a couple of interceptions in limited playing time in his first two NFL seasons — one of which he returned 99 yards for a touchdown. He has only marginal experience compared to Mukuba, especially in Fangio’s defense.

Mukuba said the two have leaned on each other, despite their competition.

“Sydney — that’s my brother, man,” Mukuba said. “Sitting next to each other in the meeting room, if anytime I got a question, he’s the closest person to me, so I just tap him. Ask him a question, he gives me a straightforward answer. And vice versa.

“When [he’s] got a question, if I can answer it, I’m able to answer it.”

While Brown wasn’t around in the locker room after the game to answer questions, Mukuba’s stall was swarmed by reporters. He said he kept the ball from the interception and plans on having it framed. Later, he posed for pictures on the field with his family.

It was all new to the rookie — the NFL, playing at the Linc, and getting a pick-six.

“That was a great feeling, to be honest, with the crowd behind me, me making a play,” Mukuba said. “Obviously, the feeling of helping the team get the lead. Everything. That felt good.”

The first taste never leaves your mouth.