Eagles

5th Round: Eagles Add Cornerback, Linebacker, Center

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Apr 26th, 2025 · 4:17 PM EDT

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After trading back a bunch of times throughout the 3rd and 4th rounds, the Eagles made three 5th round selections on Saturday afternoon:

• Mac McWilliams – UCF cornerback (#145 overall)
• Smael Mondon Jr. – Georgia linebacker (#161 overall)
• Drew Kendall – Boston College center (#168 overall)

Kendall was the first offensive player Howie Roseman selected in this draft. It had been five-straight defensive players up until that point, three from the SEC as Howie went back to the bountiful and potable Alabama and Georgia well.

Here’s some information on each of the 5th rounders from Lance Zierlein at NFL.com:

Mac McWilliams

Tenacious cornerback whose 2024 tape helped spotlight his toughness and short-area athleticism. McWilliams is best in off coverages. He plays with anticipation and burst to swarm the top of the route from his pedal and is quick to pounce on zone throws. He has average long speed and lacks length. His failure to locate deep throws is concerning. There is zero hesitation when it’s time to step downhill and support the run, though, and he’s a physical tackler who can do it on his own. McWilliams’ 2023 tape was a mess, but he was much improved in 2024 and looks capable of finding backup work as a nickelback for a zone-heavy team.

Smael Mondon Jr. 

Mondon is physical and can run. He’s quick to flow downhill and challenge blocks with good pop. He’s inconsistent to diagnose and flow accurately to his fits, but he has good pursuit speed to range and tackle to the sidelines. He pursues the action with focus and leverage. Mondon becomes tackle-ready quickly in space. He’s effective on passing downs with good coverage and blitz talent. The run game instincts could slow him early in his career, but he’s a battle-tested, three-down option with special teams value and starting potential. 

Drew Kendall

The traits and athletic features don’t stand out, but Kendall comes from NFL bloodlines and simply knows how to play. He’s detail-oriented as a run blocker with good footwork, hand placement and body control. He adjusts well to movement in-line or in space to execute his block. He’s not a bender, so I expect him to have trouble dealing with A-gap pluggers and longer bull-rushers who can roll him into the pocket. Kendall’s technique, toughness and intelligence are important elements as a center, but given his measurables and lack of position flexibility, his ceiling might be on the lower end.

McWilliams is a UAB transfer. He played his first four seasons with the Blazers, then transferred to UCF in 2024, where he started 11 games and finished with 32 tackles, 6.5 TFL, a sack, a pick, two PBUs, and a forced fumble. Mondon Jr. played in a ton of big games for UGA but slipped a little bit because of concerns over a foot injury that bothered him for a large part of 2023, and into 2024 as well. Kendall, first-team All-ACC last year, is actually the son of Pete Kendall, a first round pick back in 1996 who played 13 seasons for the Seahawks, Cardinals, Jets, and Redskins.