The Eagles used a sixth-round pick on McCord, a St. Joseph’s Prep grad who led the nation and set an ACC record in passing yards (4,779) while completing 66% of his passes. Thompson-Robinson has been underwhelming in limited playing time, and it’s hard to imagine he’s not fourth on the chart right now.

And Mukuba isn’t the only Eagles draft pick this year who has a history with the second-year linebacker. Before Trotter went to Clemson, he starred at St. Joseph’s Prep, where he was teammates with 2025 sixth-round quarterback Kyle McCord.

But there will be other roster battles among the players signed in free agency, mostly veterans on a low-cost one-year deals. For now, that gives the rest of the rookie class a chance to adjust to the NFL. If they adjust faster, they'll play sooner.