Eagles used first five picks on defense, but Howie Roseman says they didn't draft for need

The Eagles suffered heavy losses to their defense in free agency, and then they used their first five picks in the 2025 NFL draft on defensive players. But General Manager Howie Roseman says there were no reaches for positions of need.

Roseman told Rich Eisen that he was prepared to pick the best player on his board regardless of position, and was pleased to find that defensive players they liked a lot were available when the Eagles were picking.

"Obviously we've lost some players here in Philadelphia since the Super Bowl, and we weren't trying to draft for need, but when need hits the value of the player, it's a beautiful thing," Roseman said.

The Eagles' first five picks were linebacker Jihaad Campbell, safety Andre Mukuba, defensive tackle Ty Robinson, cornerback Mac McWilliams and linebacker Smael Mondon. Roseman said all those players were good values where they were picked.

"The value has to be right. We don't want to reach. For us, we didn't get to the offensive line until later in the draft because the value where we're picking has to hit it right," Roseman said.

The Eagles' defense will have a lot of new faces this season, and they're players Roseman is confident were the best available at the time the Eagles were picking.