The Eagles will look a bit different in 2026, particularly on offense where two early selections will immediately have roles. What would we have done based on our board?

 

Actual selections

1.20: WR Makai Lemon

2.54: TE Eli Stowers

3.68: OT Markel Bell

5.178: QB Cole Payton

6.207: G Micah Morris

7.244: S Cole Wisniewski

7.251: DL Uar Bernard

7.252: EDGE Keyshawn James-Newby

 

Wolf Sports selections

1.20: WR Germie Bernard

2.54: S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren

3.68: CB Jermod McCoy

5.178: G DJ Campbell

6.207: LB Harold Perkins Jr.

7.244: TE John Michael Gyllenborg

7.251: WR Deion Burks

7.252: QB Jalon Daniels

 

Thoughts

One important thing to remember for Philadelphia is that they also acquired Jonathan Greenard in a trade with the Vikings during the draft, so they are essentially guaranteed to have an impact defensive addition to complement the new blood on offense. In Round 1, the selection of Makai Lemon was perhaps the final indication that A.J. Brown will be traded, and the USC product is comparable to Amon-Ra St. Brown; he should be an ideal target to pair with DeVonta Smith and add more of an underneath element to the passing attack.

 

That said, we would have gone with Germie Bernard as the closest prospect we’ve seen to A.J. Brown—and you can read our full scouting report on him here. It would’ve been more surprising that the NFL wasn’t higher on Bernard (drafted No. 47 overall by the Steelers) if they hadn’t made the same mistake in evaluating Brown in 2019 (drafted No. 51 overall), and the rookie also seems to have high-end character to match his ability.

 

On Day 2, the Eagles took Eli Stowers as a receiving tight end to pair with—and be the eventual successor to—Dallas Goedert, and the goal seemed to be improving the weapons in the middle of the field to almost force Jalen Hurts to attack there more. Then, it was followed by up the monstrous Markel Bell in the third round, and he’ll be a towering swing tackle to begin his career before taking over for Lane Johnson as early as 2027 if he shows enough promise and Johnson retires.

 

We would have gone with Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at safety in Round 2, and he could’ve worked in tandem with Andrew Mukuba as a long-term duo for Vic Fangio’s defense, but it’s worth wondering if Philly simply didn’t think it was worth spending another second-round pick at the position. In the third round, Jermod McCoy’s fall could have stopped, and it’s notable that Riq Woolen is only on a one-year deal; a trio of Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and McCoy would be dominant if the rookie has a healthy career.

 

To begin Day 3, the Eagles took a developmental quarterback in Cole Payton, and the team now has four quarterbacks on the roster with Hurts, Andy Dalton, Tanner McKee, and Payton. We would have taken DJ Campbell in that slot to step in for Tyler Steen if he’s eventually lost in free agency. In the sixth round, Philadelphia went with a big and talented guard in Micah Morris, and we would have targeted Harold Perkins Jr. to slide in behind Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell.

 

Headlining their trio of selections in the seventh round, the Eagles are hoping to have struck gold again with Uar Bernard—who never played football—but there were some other shots to take with other talented (and more proven) options like John Michael Gyllenborg, Deion Burks, and Jalon Daniels.