The Minnesota Vikings spent a first-round pick on former Georgia safety Lewis Cine in the 2022 NFL Draft, and he gave them 10 games.
Injuries are an unfortunate reality when it comes to the NFL, and, unfortunately, they ruined the early portion of Cine's career. Still only 25 years old, however, Cine has a chance to resurface with another NFC contender and prove his first-round status.
The Philadelphia Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman never saw a Georgia Bulldog defensive player they didn't like, and Roseman has been one of the most aggressive GMs in the league in pursuing reclamation projects.
And he's been good at getting guys back on track. Just ask Mekhi Becton, a player who was considered a first-round bust for the Jets, who just signed a big-money deal with the Chargers in 2025 after a year under Eagles OL coach Jeff Stoutland.
Cine, working in Vic Fangio's stellar Eagles defense, might open camp with the road even more paved than he planned on.
Former Minnesota Vikings safety Lewis Cine could resurrect career with Philadelphia Eagles
Second-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft across the NFL remain unsigned as rookies get set to report for training camps around the league.
This will have no direct impact on the Vikings because, well, they didn't have a second-round pick. But for the rest of the league, there's a huge holdup at the front of the line thanks to Texans second-round pick Jayden Higgins signing an unprecedented fully-guaranteed deal.
And because the guys at the top of the second round are still waiting for their contracts to be done, guys at the bottom of the second round will have to wait even longer.
That means Philadelphia Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba, a star out of Texas who was also the last pick of the 2025 second round, is in a tough waiting game.
The Eagles moved on from veteran CJ Gardner-Johnson this offseason and don't have great depth at the safety position. Mukuba might be in a decent position to start for Fangio if he were out on the practice field for the entirety of camp, but his potential absence due to a contract issue paves the way for the former Vikings first-round bust Lewis Cine to take advantage of more work with the top unit.
Cine has legitimately played 10 defensive snaps as an NFL player. He's played a bit more on special teams, but his inability to stay on the field has been rather staggering to this point, considering the impact he made while at Georgia.
Perhaps being under Vic Fangio and defensive backs coach Christian Parker can help him resurrect his career, or perhaps being around some fellow former Bulldogs will help him regain the confidence he needs to be a consistent impact player at the next level.
Whatever the case, having more reps at the start of the camp would play directly into his favor, assuming he can stay on the field.