Eagles' Major NFL Draft Change Predicted By ESPN

We find nothing wrong with the prediction that the Philadelphia Eagles will select Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell with the 32nd overall pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.

Campbell can be the right guy at the right time in the right place ... and certainly makes sense as one of the top 32 players in this draft.

So if the Big Board in the Eagles war room matches up?

Pick him.

But it will mark a major change in the way Philly has done its Day 1 Draft work.

In his final mock draft, released this week, long-time ESPN NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. has projected that the Eagles will select Campbell in the No. 32 slot.

Again, nothing wrong with that. But there is this ...

This selection would mark a major departure from the team’s long-standing draft philosophy, as the Eagles haven’t selected an off-the-ball linebacker in the first round since 1979.

Or maybe it's not "philosophy.'' After all, while GM Howie Roseman is "the decider'' now, in 1979?

Howie was 4 years old.

What does Kiper think about Campbell as an add to Philadelphia’s defense?

“Combining Campbell with Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean at the second level would make defensive coordinator Vic Fangio smile,'' Kiper writes, adding that the Alabama star “does it all,” having recorded 112 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, and an interception in 2024.

The last time the Eagles selected a linebacker this high? That would be when they picked Jerry Robinson from UCLA, 46 years ago.

Robinson was a fine pick. He ended up finishing as the runner-up for the Defensive Rookie of the Year and he earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team.

Can Campbell do anything like that within Fangio’s scheme?

There is a football component here and there is a financial one, too. The Eagles have generally made off-the-ball linebacker a place where they have to "give'' ... while paying other more important positions.

At the same time, Roseman just signed Baun to a three-year, $51 million contract extension with $34 million guaranteed.

So maybe a change is coming. A historically significant one in Philly.