Football <\/p>\n
The Philadelphia Eagles made eight picks in the 2026 NFL Draft! Let\u2019s talk about them.<\/p>\n
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Signature Stat: <\/strong>Forced 21 Missed Tackles on only 79 receptions in 2025<\/em><\/p>\n The Player: <\/strong>Makai Lemon was one of the best players in college football in 2025. He was the Fred Biletnikoff Award winner for top receiver in the country and was a unanimous All-American. With 79 catches for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns, the Trojan offense ran through Lemon\u2019s hands. Lemon is not a standout athlete like some of his peers. At 5\u201911\u201d and 196 pounds, Lemon has a muscular build but lacks the height, length, or hand size of top tier receivers. On paper, Lemon doesn\u2019t look like he\u2019d be a problem for defenses, but he was. He really, really was. Lemon is a highly advanced route runner with a great sense of attacking both man and zone coverages. He can use eye fakes, great footwork, and physicality to separate from man coverage and he\u2019s great at finding the soft spot in zones to help his quarterback. Lemon was deployed all over the field, but saw the majority of his production in the slot. With the ball in his hands, he is competitive fighting for extra yards and has a running back-like vision.<\/p>\n Outlook: <\/strong>The Eagles are all but certain to ship A.J. Brown out this summer, leaving a massive gap in their passing game. This pick was made with that consideration. DeVonta Smith will take over as the team\u2019s top receiver, stretching the field on the perimeter. With Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown in the fold, those two will rotate out as the other perimeter receiver. This will leave room for Makai Lemon to start as a slot receiver. Lemon should eat early on in the short passing game. While the Eagles offense still figures to be run heavy, expect Lemon to see 60-80 targets as a rookie and make the most of them.<\/p>\n \n Signature Stat: <\/strong>Ranked top 10 in the country last year in Deep Catches (10th), Deep Yards (6th), and Contested Catches (9th) among tight ends.<\/p>\n The Player: <\/strong>Eli Stowers was a force in the SEC for two years since transferring from New Mexico. At 6 \u20184\u201d, 239 pounds, Stowers was often the most athletic skill player on the field. At the NFL Combine, Stowers set the record for broad jump (11\u20193\u201d) and vertical jump (45.5\u201d) for a tight end. The athleticism showed up in the way he\u2019d run by SEC defenders with ease, or body smaller ones in coverage. He was a lethal vertical threat from the slot or lined up in-line. Diego Pavia would not have been a Heisman finalist without Eli Stowers being a mismatch nightmare. Stowers is not a traditional tight end. He was an inconsistent in-line blocker, which meant that he was mostly lined up in the slot or even sometimes in the backfield on running plays. His athleticism made him a good blocker in space, but in the box he\u2019d struggle with the physicality of bigger defensive linemen.<\/p>\n Outlook: <\/strong>It was almost a certainty that the Eagles were going to draft a tight end high in this class. Dallas Goedert is back on a one-year deal and it\u2019s unlikely he is an Eagle after 2026. His presence this year means Stowers can be brought along slowly, learning all the facets of being a tight end from Goedert while being used in a more limited capacity. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised to see Stowers deployed as a slot receiver or even lined up wide in some packages. Sean Mannion will want to get his best players on the field. Which means Smith, Lemon, Goedert, and Stowers all being movable chess pieces, especially down in the red zone. If Stowers can even get a bit better as a blocker after his rookie year, the Eagles might have a new playmaking tight end for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n \n Signature Stat: <\/strong>Allowed 0 Sacks on 558 Pass Blocking Reps in 2025<\/p>\n The Player: <\/strong>Markel Bell is a huge guy. Standing at 6\u20199\u201d and 346 pounds with a wingspan of over 87 inches \u2026 not many people on the planet are built like the 21-year-old left tackle out of Miami. Bell\u2019s size envelops most defenders, making him a stalwart pass blocker at the college level. His combination of length and surprising lateral quickness makes him pretty natural on the perimeter on the edge of an offensive line. Bell\u2019s downhill speed and balance need work. His pad level is naturally so high that he can get outleveraged fairly easily as a run blocker. When he can come behind his pads, however, its quite impressive.<\/p>\n Outlook: <\/strong>The Eagles absolutely drafted Bell as an heir to Lane Johnson. Bell will hopefully get to sit for his rookie year and learn from the future Hall of Famer. In the meantime, it would not be surprising if Bell slimmed down to gain some more quickness. The talent with him is quite obvious and with the right coaching, Bell could be a very good starter.<\/p>\n \n Signature Stat: <\/strong>13 Rushing Touchdowns in 2025<\/p>\n The Player: <\/strong>North Dakota State is a quarterback factory. I mean that seriously. For an FCS school to have five quarterbacks drafted in the last decade is really, really impressive. Cole Payton only started for a single season after Cam Miller was drafted last year, but the 6 \u20183\u201d, 235 pounder was a weapon for the Bison offense. Payton has a good arm with very good accuracy, and he thrived behind the Bisons\u2019 elite offensive line. Most impressive is his athleticism. He is fast. Period. He ran a 4.53 forty at the NFL Combine. That, combined with his great size, made him a pretty nasty running threat.<\/p>\n Outlook: <\/strong>Payton\u2019s transition to the NFL is tough to project. He never really dealt with pressure at the FCS level and his ability to handle that will dictate his success at quarterback. The Eagles could be shipping off Tanner McKee this offseason, leaving an open spot in the backup quarterback competition. It\u2019s possible the Eagles see Payton as a Taysom Hill-type, something that was thrown around quite a bit in the draft process. With the pressing need to keep Jalen Hurts healthy, the Eagles could pivot to using Payton as a short-yardage quarterback.<\/p>\n \n Signature Stat: <\/strong>0 Sacks Allowed in 426 pass blocking snaps<\/p>\n The Player: <\/strong>Micah Morris is a big, strong, athletic guard. At 6\u20195\u201d, 334 pounds, Morris had a dominant performance at the NFL Combine that put him on NFL teams\u2019 radars. As a player, he is raw, but the talent is quite obvious. He did his best work on passing downs, but was insulated by a talented offensive line and a scheme that rarely allowed defensive linemen to pin their ears back.<\/p>\n Outlook: <\/strong>Morris has an immediate shot at starting as a rookie. The Eagles right guard spot is basically up for grabs and their left guard spot eventually might be too depending on the long-term outlook of Landon Dickerson. Morris has a ways to go, but he has the ability to be an impact starter in the NFL.<\/p>\n \n Signature Stat: <\/strong>Recorded 8 Interceptions in 2023<\/p>\n The Player: <\/strong>Cole Wisniewski was a forceful defender at North Dakota State before transferring to Texas Tech. In one year with the Red Raiders, he was a vital part of a defense that carried them to a playoff berth. Wisniewski was a versatile player in college, lining up all over the field at Texas Tech and North Dakota State. At the FBS level, he did his best work closer to the line of scrimmage where he could come up and attack the run while covering the short areas of the field. He is a fine athlete, but plays with good instincts and a high level of physicality.<\/p>\n Outlook: <\/strong>The Eagles safety situation is rough enough that Cole Wisniewski will get some serious reps this offseason. It\u2019s not the most ideal situation for the team, but it will give Wisniewski a chance to prove he can run with NFL caliber pass catchers. There is a world where he can get meaningful snaps as a rookie on defense. After all, Reed Blankenship was an UDFA and he started late in 2022 as a rookie.<\/p>\n \n Signature Stat: <\/strong>Ran a 4.63 Second Forty Yard Dash at 305 pounds.<\/p>\n The Player: <\/strong>Uar Bernard has never played organized football before. He played basketball as a high school student in Nigeria before being scouted by the NFL International Player Pathway program. His athletic traits are hard to fathom and that makes him so appealing as a potential NFL player.<\/p>\n Outlook: <\/strong>The Eagles\u2019 defensive staff is eager to get to work with Bernard. While it will be a long road to any sort of NFL viability, there is obviously lots to be excited about in terms of potential.<\/p>\n \n Signature Stat: <\/strong>Recorded 168 total pressures over the last three years.<\/p>\n The Player: <\/strong>Keyshawn James-Newby played football at Montana Tech, Idaho, and then New Mexico. At each stop, he became more and more productive. He is a smaller, but fast pass rusher who has great burst and a better motor. He struggles as a run defender and has his tackles broken far more than is acceptable at the pro level.<\/p>\n Outlook: <\/strong>The Eagles are taking another swing here at a physically gifted pass rusher. With Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, and now Jonathan Greenard in the fold; James-Newby has the luxury of learning behind some pretty excellent players. He will likely be a special teamer at best early on but he\u2019ll have chances this summer to prove himself as a rotational pass rusher.<\/p>\n \u2026<\/p>\nEli Stowers, Tight End, Vanderbilt<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Markel Bell, Offensive Tackle, Miami<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Cole Payton, Quarterback, North Dakota State<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Micah Morris, Guard, Georgia<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Cole Wisniewski, Safety, Texas Tech<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Uar Bernard, Defensive Tackle<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Keyshawn James-Newby, Edge Defender, New Mexico<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
![\"Football](\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/profile_images\/634501\/bald-eagle_1_600x450.jpg\" "\\"Football\\"")
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