Eagles add another freak athlete with Georgia LB Smael Mondon Jr. at pick 161

The Eagles continued to lean into premium traits on Day 3 of the NFL Draft, selecting Georgia linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. with the 161st overall pick. If you like linebackers who can fly around and erase plays with raw speed, this pick is right up your alley.

Eagles Bet on Athletic Upside with Smael Mondon Jr.

Eagles are taking another Georgia player for their defense. Linebacker

Smael Mondon, Jr.

All of the Eagles picks so far are on defense pic.twitter.com/cBty6wFyta

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) April 26, 2025

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Mondon Jr. is one of the most explosive athletes in the entire draft class. His speed, burst, and sideline-to-sideline range are impossible to miss on film. Whether it’s chasing down a running back sprinting for the boundary or slipping through a gap on a delayed blitz, Mondon moves like he’s got rockets strapped to his cleats. His fluid hips and sharp change-of-direction skills allow him to mirror tight ends and squeeze windows in zone coverage, and he rarely lets a ball carrier escape once he gets his hands on them.

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But for as freaky of an athlete as he is, there are some real risks here too. Mondon has dealt with foot and ankle injuries going back to high school, and he’s not exactly a brick wall against bigger bodies in the run game. Offensive linemen can wash him out at the second level, and bigger running backs have a tendency to fall forward through his tackles. His processing speed also hasn’t caught up to his athleticism yet — he can get caught guessing against more complex run schemes, which forces him to play catch-up.

Still, at this point in the draft, the Eagles are betting on rare traits. If Smael Mondon Jr. can stay healthy and clean up some of the mental lapses, they just landed one of the most dynamic athletes on the field — and another potential weapon for a defense that’s quietly getting a lot faster and a lot more dangerous.