Helena High alum Keyshawn James-Newby drafted by Philadelphia Eagles

Helena High graduate Keyshawn James-Newby reached the NFL when the Philadelphia Eagles chose him 252nd overall in the seventh round of the 2026 draft on April 25, making him Philadelphia’s final selection of the class. The pick came to the Eagles through a trade with the Los Angeles Rams, turning a late-round slot into a hometown milestone for Helena and Lewis and Clark County.

The 6-foot-2, 244-pound edge rusher from Helena, Montana, took a long route to get there. James-Newby played six college seasons, starting at Montana Tech in Butte from 2020 through 2022, then moving to Idaho from 2023 through 2024 before finishing at New Mexico in 2025. New Mexico lists him as a senior born Aug. 8, 2002, and says he graduated from Idaho with a degree in Liberal Arts.

His production rose at every stop. At Idaho, James-Newby totaled 54 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks in 2024. He was named Big Sky Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 11, 2024, after recording three sacks and a forced fumble against Wyoming, then went on to earn second-team all-conference honors and a spot in the East-West Shrine Game. Idaho later named him a Buck Buchanan Award finalist on Nov. 26, 2024.

He finished at New Mexico with another standout season, leading the Mountain West with 8.0 sacks and ending with 13.0 tackles for loss. The Eagles described him as a solid sub-package edge rusher with a high motor and disruptive ability, the kind of traits teams often target late in the draft when they are looking for developmental pass rushers who have already proven they can produce.

For Helena, the selection adds another local name to the small group of players who have moved from high school football into the NFL. New Mexico said James-Newby was the first Lobo drafted since Jerrick Reed in 2023 and the first UNM defensive lineman selected since Larry Dibbles in 1976, underscoring how rare this kind of finish is, even for a player who kept building his resume at every stop.