The Philadelphia Eagles spent the last 4 seasons developing an undrafted safety into a top-line starter — and eventual Super Bowl champion — with Reed Blankenship.
Blankenship left this offseason for free-agency riches with the Houston Texans. Which means it could be time for the Eagles to start the process all over again.
The Athletic’s Zach Berman predicts the Eagles will keep undrafted free agent rookie Maximus Pulley on this year’s 53-man roster.
“Don’t sleep on Pulley, an undrafted rookie from Wofford,” Berman wrote on August 18. “He can develop on the back end and add special teams value, à la early-career Reed Blankenship.”
Blankenship started 4 games as a rookie in 2022 and played in the Super Bowl, then became the full-time starter in his 2nd season — racking up 8 interceptions over the last 3 years, including becoming a standout on the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning team following the 2024 season.
Pulley Started 34 Consecutive Games in College
Pulley, 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, played his 1st 2 seasons of college football at Western Kentucky before transferring to Wofford, where he started every game over the last 3 seasons — 34 consecutive starts.
In 2025, Pulley had a career-high 85 tackles while leading the Southern Conference with 5 interceptions and the entire FCS with 2 interception returns for touchdowns, earning FCS All-American and All-SoCo honors.
While Pulley missed out on becoming the 1st Wofford player to be taken in the NFL Draft since 1958, he now has an even bigger and better goal in his sights.
“Maximus Pulley is a safety prospect who profiles best as a nickel defender, with good size and below-average length,” Sports Illustrated’s Gerald J. Huggins II wrote in his pre-draft scouting report. “He shows a quick trigger, high-end burst, and strong downhill closing ability. He excels as an underneath zone defender when roaming the intermediate areas of the field. He has a good feel for spacing, working to his depth, and shows quality range in the shallow areas. He drives on routes with high-end burst, though his lack of length limits his impact at the catch point, especially deep downfield. He is a twitchy mover with quick acceleration, but shows stiffness and inconsistent fluidity in his transitions.”
Another Undrafted Safety Might Make 53-Man Roster
If Pulley doesn’t make the roster, it might be because another undrafted free agent rookie safety does — former Ole Miss star Kapena Gushekin.
According to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, Gushekin has played his way onto the roster bubble for the Eagles.
Gushekin started his college career with 2 seasons at a junior college before playing 2 seasons at Washington State, then his final season at Ole Miss in 2025 as the Rebels made it all the way to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
“Gushiken signed with the Eagles in May as an undrafted free agent out of Ole Miss,” Popper wrote on August 18. “He flashed at safety, nickel and as a special teams coverage player Saturday in a 24-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He tackled well. He played physical as a run defender when taking on blocks. He looked comfortable in deep-field safety responsibilities. And he showed off NFL-level awareness and instincts. On a snap in the fourth quarter, Gushiken recognized a play-action boot concept. He carried a route from Ravens tight end Ty Pezza into the flat — designed to take advantage of the flow of the defense — and tackled him short of the marker.”
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