In the 2026 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles selected eight players, some of whom will get playing time as rookies, but only one of whom will be expected to start right away. Here we'll look at each of the Birds' additions, and project their roles as rookies.

Round 1: WR Makai Lemon

As we noted in our Eagles draft grades, six of the eight players the Eagles selected in the 2026 draft either had great size or were athletic freaks of nature, as shown in my #FreakChart™️ below:

Lemon was not among them. He's short and light with short arms and small hands. He also isn't a blazer by any stretch, as he ran a 4.50 40 at USC's pro day. He does not possess impressive physical measurables.

The Eagles did not draft Lemon to develop his traits over time. They drafted him because they think he's a good football player, right now. He catches everything, he runs good routes, he gets yards after the catch, he's a fierce competitor, and he had a productive college career.

He is going to start for the Eagles this season in the slot. Or perhaps better stated, if he doesn't start, that would be highly alarming since (a) he in no way fits the description of a developmental player, and (b) there's an opening at receiver since the Eagles will be down a star player in A.J. Brown, who is hoping the grass is greener in New England.

DeVonta Smith will be the WR1, and Lemon will likely be the second most targeted wide receiver, mostly operating out of the slot. The Eagles will then also mix in Dontayvion Wicks and Marquise Brown, depending on the situation.

Round 2: TE Eli Stowers

Stowers was a high school quarterback who moved to tight end in college. The appeal is that he is an elite athlete who ran a 4.51 40, vertical leaped 45 1/2", and broad jumped 135". 

As Nick Sirianni said after the Eagles made the pick, Stowers can do things athletically that nobody else can.

The downside is that Stowers is probably more of a big receiver at this point than he is a tight end. He has a long way to go as a blocker in the NFL. Hell, Sirianni, Howie Roseman, and Stowers himself all acknowledged that he needs work there.

Blocking aside (we'll come back to that), as a general rule of thumb, it usually takes tight ends a few years before they get their NFL sea legs. A quick look at the Eagles' two most recent long-term tight ends and their rookie season receiving stats:

Ertz and Goedert were both second-round picks. A quick list of recent second-round tight ends and their rookie stats (we'll just go back as far as the Goedert draft): 

The average stats of the 16 players above during their rookie seasons: 28 catches for 267 yards (9.6 YPC) and 2 TDs. Sam LaPorta made an impact for the Lions as a rookie. None of the other 15 tight ends above topped 500 yards. Only two (LaPorta and Pat Friermuth) topped 400 yards.

In other words, odds are that Stowers won't have impressive numbers as a rookie even as a receiver, which is his strength. Part of that will be a result of a lack of playing time. Goedert remains the starter, and the team signed Johnny Mundt to be a blocking tight end. Grant Calcaterra has fallen out of favor with the fan base, but not with the team, who brought him back on a one-year deal. So there's some congestion at tight end for Stowers to work through.

But also, as a rookie there's just no way the Eagles can line up Stowers at tight end and ask him to block, ohhh, sayyy, I dunno, Jared Verse. He'll get rag-dolled into oblivion. The Eagles will have to be mindful about not being too predictable on offense when Stowers is on the field.

"Every tight end, regardless of what system you're running, it's going to be important that they're not a one-trick pony," Sirianni said at the owners meetings in Phoenix in March. "Because if you're putting a guy in only on passing downs, then he's limited to when he's playing in the game. If you're putting him in and you're only passing on first and second down, obviously that's a major tell to the defense that you're giving away. So, it's going to be important in any offense that guys are not a liability on either side.

"It's a very unique position with how much they're involved in having to grind it out like offensive linemen against really good players on the edge, and then also have to create separation in the pass game."

And so, Sean Mannion and the Eagles' offensive staff will have to find unique ways to get Stowers into games. As a blocker, there's reason to believe that Stowers can use his athleticism to make certain types of blocks, like stalk blocking in the screen game, or cracking edges on runs to the perimeter. But even then, the types of runs the Eagles might call might become predictable.

Stowers is a second-round pick. He's going to get some playing time. I imagine the staff will try to install a play or two each week in the game plan specifically with Stowers in mind, but it'll mostly be a developmental year, certainly as a blocker, but also as a receiver.

Round 3: OT Markel Bell

The Eagles' selection of Bell had a long-term focus in mind, as the Eagles employ the best offensive tackle tandem in the NFL in Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata. But, Johnson will turn 36 in a few days and he missed almost half the 2025 season with a Lisfranc injury. Meanwhile, Mailata just turned 29 and he is nearing 100 career starts.

Even as a depth player, Bell might have to wait. This offseason, the team re-signed Fred Johnson, who played a career-high 626 regular season snaps in relief of Lane Johnson. Though he was a big downgrade (as anyone would be filling in for Johnson) he did fill in about as reasonably well as could be expected.

The path for Bell to get on the field could be if the Eagles split backup duties for Bell and Fred Johnson. Last year, early in the season, Johnson was the backup LT and Matt Pryor was the backup RT. Remember when the Lane Johnson went down against the Rams Week 3, and Pryor initially filled in at RT, played terribly, and Fred Johnson had to come in and save the day? Maybe that left-right approach will be back this year?

If so, the question is, who will play where? Bell played almost exclusively at LT during his career at Miami, however, he said that Miami offensive line coach Alex Mirabel trained him at LT and RT in practice throughout his career, and that he’s ready to go at either spot. My guess is that the Eagles will cross-train Bell at both spots, but will heavily prioritize his development at RT, since Lane Johnson's starting spot is far more likely to open up sooner than Mailata's, long-term.

So maybe Fred Johnson will be the backup at LT, and Bell will be the backup at RT? Maybe the reverse? But certainly, for the Eagles to make Bell the primary backup at any position, he'll have to show that he is game-ready in training camp. It's also worth considering that since the Eagles only carry eight active offensive linemen on gameday, this approach would have to assume that Drew Kendall is ready to be a backup at all three interior offensive line spots. And even then, is that enough gameday depth on the interior, especially with two injury concerns in Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson? Maybe Fred Johnson will begin cross-training at guard in addition to tackle?

Sorry, I'm rambling. Anyway, Bell will either have to beat out Fred Johnson outright for the swing tackle job, or the Eagles will have to do some O-line gymnastics for him to be active on gameday.

Round 5: QB Cole Payton

The Eagles' depth chart at quarterback:

Payton is currently the QB4, so he has very little chance of getting on the field as a quarterback as a rookie. His only real chance is if he becomes the QB3 as a result of a McKee trade, or if he simply outplays Dalton in training camp and in the preseason games. And even then he would need two quarterbacks to get hurt.

Payton is not guaranteed a roster spot. In the recent past, the Eagles have cut Day 3 quarterbacks like Clayton Thorson (5th round, 2019) and Kyle McCord (6th round, 2025). They stunk, frankly. The Eagles certainly didn't select Payton in the fifth round with the intent of cutting him and hoping they can carry him on the practice squad all season. They'll want him to prove he belongs on the 53 man roster, even if that means keeping four quarterbacks, but he'll have to show at least something to stick.

But Payton is also an interesting football player in that he's a 230+ pound guy and a good runner. He played some running back, tight end, and special teams before he became the starting quarterback at North Dakota State. Can the Eagles use him in some way as a non-quarterback? I suppose that he'll have to prove he's worthy of being one of the 46 most useful players on the roster gameday, if so.

My guess is that 2026 will be a developmental year for Payton, and he'll likely be among the inactives each week. But I am curious to see if the Eagles try to use him in other creative ways throughout training camp.

Round 6: OG Micah Morris

Like Markel Bell above, Morris was a draft selection with the long-term in mind. He is unpolished, but he is big (6'5, 334) and athletically gifted.

In 2026, however, there just isn't going to be room on the gameday roster for Morris, barring injury. As noted above, the Eagles typically have eight active offensive linemen on gameday. So that'll be the five starters (duh), Fred Johnson, whoever the backup center is (likely Drew Kendall, who the team has also been cross-training at guard), and an eighth guy.

I would guess the team would likely prefer that to be Bell over Morris. There should be ample opportunity for Morris to make the roster, though, as they like to carry 10 guys on their 53.

Round 7: S Cole Wisniewski

Wisniewski is a big safety at 6'3, 219 whose comfort area is near the line of scrimmage and in run support. He is a former linebacker who is a physical, sure tackler. He has also been lauded for his habits off the field. I found the following line notable in The Athletic's Dane Brugler's scouting report: 

His elite preparation carries over to game days (NFL scout: “He’s already a pro.”)

Wisniewski pointed out a few days ago that he played in a Vic Fangio-style scheme his entire six-year college career, and Howie Roseman comped him to Reed Blankenship, an undrafted free agent signing in 2022 who got on the field as a rookie and was a full-time starter by Year 2.

The weakest position on the Eagles' roster is at safety. Though I certainly wouldn't predict that a seventh-round rookie is likely to win a starting job, there is a clear path for Wisniewski to ball out in training camp and steal it.

We'll see if the Eagles add a veteran safety between now and the start of the regular season, perhaps via trade. My guess is that they will.

Wisniewski should have a floor as a special teams contributor with a real opportunity to be more if the team doesn't upgrade the safety spot in a meaningful way by Week 1.

Round 7: iDL Uar Bernard

In the 2018 draft the Eagles famously selected a size-athleticism freak of nature with no experience playing American football in Jordan Mailata. Though Mailata has turned into one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL, he also didn't play, at all, his first two seasons.

Bernard is another size-athleticism freak of nature drafted by the Eagles in the seventh round. However, Bernard is even more raw than Mailata was, as Mailata at least had some experience playing a football-adjacent sport in rugby. There was video of Mailata's rugby highlights, which showed his movement skills in game settings. That does not exist for Bernard.

But, the Eagles saw something in Mailata those first two seasons, and opted to keep him on the active 53-man roster rather than expose him to waivers. And ultimately, that will be Bernard's first hurdle to clear. His chances of actually getting on the field in some capacity as a rookie are slim-to-none, but can he show enough in training camp and in the preseason games to at least warrant a spot on the roster?

Round 7: EDGE Keyshawn James-Newby

The Eagles' top three edge defenders are Jonathan Greenard, Nolan Smith, and Jalyx Hunt. They will all have important roles in the Eagles' defense, obviously. Thereafter, they have Arnold Ebiketie, who got a big enough contract to cancel out a player in the comp pick formula; and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, a lottery ticket vet who was once a first-round pick.

If James-Newby is going to crack the roster, he'll likely have to do so on special teams, perhaps in something of a Patrick Johnson-like role. He does have 4.51 speed that should translate to special teams in the pros.

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