Eagles training camp: The best rookie (so far) is late-round pick who stopped Saquon Barkley

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PHILADELPHIA − Jihaad Campbell is working towards becoming a linebacker worthy of starting next to Zack Baun when the Eagles open their season against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 4.

But through the first week-plus of camp, Campbell has not been the Eagles' best rookie. Heck, he hasn't even been the Eagles' best rookie linebacker.

For now, that honor belongs to Smael Mondon, the Eagles' fifth-round pick out of Georgia, and it went beyond Mondon getting the vast majority of first-team reps in practice on Aug. 1, while Campbell was mostly with the second unit.

Mondon made perhaps one of the nicest plays of camp by any defender through six training camp practices so far.

He was in single coverage on none other than Saquon Barkley on a wheel route into the end zone, running step for step with Barkley. Then at the last possible second, Mondon reached in as Jalen Hurts' pass was arriving and knocked the ball away.

Conversely, Campbell was beaten on a similar wheel route from running back Will Shipley earlier in practice as Shipley hauled in Hurts' pass for a 25-yard touchdown.

Mondon has gotten the opportunity with the first unit because Nakobe Dean is on the PUP list as he recovers from a torn patellar tendon and Baun has missed the last three practices with a back injury.

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Both Mondon and Campbell have gotten chances next to second-year linebacker Jeremiah Trotter. Mondon has shown he can handle it.

"The first couple days, it's just trying to make sure I learn everything in the playbook because you can’t play confidently if you don’t really know what you’re doing," Mondon said. "So getting a good footing and building that foundation. Trying to work on now, just playing looser ... and not be afraid to make mistakes and being confident in my ability.

"That comes with being confident in the playbook, though."

That's not a knock at Campbell, who has played well for the most part since recovering from shoulder surgery. But Campbell has at times been overaggressive, such as with hits on tight end Dallas Goedert and fullback Ben VanSumeren, who was held out of practice with an injury.

Still, Campbell is in line to start next to Baun on Week 1. Mondon and Trotter give the Eagles two solid backups, at least as long as Dean is out. It could be by far the most talented linebacker corps the Eagles have had in years.

"The most fundamental thing you have to do on defense is figure out if it's a run or a pass, and that's critical for an ILB," Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said in reference to Campbell. "The more reps he can get that way, the better he'll be."

Mondon seems to have already grasped that.

Ranking Eagles rookies in training camp

Mondon has been the Eagles' best rookie so far, with Campbell close behind.

In third place is C Drew Kendall (fifth round), who is proving that he can serve adeptly as the Eagles' backup center to Cam Jurgens, while also playing some right guard.

Fourth is DT Ty Robinson (fourth round), who has deflected two passes so far in practice. Fifth would be DB Mac McWilliams (fifth round), followed by S Drew Mukuba (second round), in large part because he has missed three practices with a shoulder injury.

They are followed by late-round picks in QB Kyle McCord (sixth), Edge Antwaun Powell-Ryland (sixth) and offensive tackles Myles Hinton (sixth) and Cameron Williams (seventh), who all have a lot of work to do.

Tyler Steen's revenge as Jalen Carter gets trash-talked

By all accounts, it hasn't been a good start for Tyler Steen at right guard in training camp.

But it should be noted that Steen has gotten every rep with the first unit at right guard, and it's starting to pay off.

That's because on Aug. 1, Steen had arguably his best day. He held his own going against All Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter during much of practice. So much so that Carter was trash-talked by Barkley after Barkley converted two short runs up the middle for touchdowns.

Those came in red-zone situations. Each time, Barkley ran behind Steen and at Carter. In fairness, this was Carter's first full practice in team drills after recovering from a shoulder injury.

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Eagles injuries, other observations

• Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was feeling under the weather and postponed his scheduled media availability. Sirianni did run practice, however.
• As for injuries, DB Mac McWilliams (quad) and FB Ben VanSumeren (ankle) were new players who missed practice, joining Baun, TE EJ Jenkins (hamstring), WR Terrace Marshall (knee), DeVonta Smith (back) and Edge Nolan Smith (concussion).
• The good news is Mukuba (shoulder), who had missed the previous three practices, returned on a limited basis.
• The bad news is Mukuba is behind Sydney Brown in the competition for a starting safety job next to Reed Blankenship. There's still time to catch up.
• Another troubling sign: Backup quarterback Tanner McKee is 6-foot-6, yet he had two of his passes deflected at the line of scrimmage Aug. 1 − one by rookie DT Ty Robinson, another by Edge rusher Ochaun Mathis.
• Trevor Keegan, drafted in 2024 as a guard, is trying center in training camp. It hasn't gone well. Working with the second team, Keegan had three straight low snaps to McKee, and was replaced by rookie Drew Kendall.
• In 1-on-1 drills between offensive and defensive linemen, DT Gabe Hall beat G Kenyon Green on two straight rushers. That's not a good sign for Green, the first-round pick of the Houston Texans in 2022 who was acquired in the C.J. Gardner-Johnson trade.
• The Eagles are off on Aug. 2, and return to practice on Aug. 3.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a new hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com