Eagles’ 2026 NFL Draft Grades for Every Pick

Round 1, Pick 20: Makai Lemon, WR, USC

Grade: A+

After spending weeks preparing for every possible scenario at the No. 23 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Howie Roseman did what Howie Roseman does and shook things up in a major way, trading up with the Dallas Cowboys of all teams to select Makai Lemon 20th overall.

Now granted, some will say the Eagles gave up more than they needed to get the deal done. They’ve noted that Dallas wasn’t going to draft Lemon at pick No. 20 or 23, and Roseman handed Jerry Jones and company two more players, Penn State tackle Drew Shelton and Florida cornerback Devin Moore, to bolster their depth chart.

Would the Cowboys have drafted Lemon at 20? Nope, but the Pittsburgh Steelers were literally on the phone with him when the Eagles made the deal, signaling that the Eagles would not have gotten the sort of offensive talent Lemon brings to the table in their original draft position.

Would the Eagles have been better off with two more fourth-round picks and, say, Omar Cooper Jr.? That depends on how the rest of the board shook out, but considering the trade was 100 percent needed to land Lemon, no questions about it, the decision to pull the trigger and add a player some consider the best wide receiver in this year’s class was an A+ execution of a very Roseman plan.

Round 2, Pick 54: Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt

Grade: A+

For months, the Eagles were linked to Kenyon Sadiq, but after he went off the board to the New York Jets in the first round, the Eagles added a tight end with arguably a higher ceiling if he can become just an average blocker at the NFL level.

A favorite of the CP pre-draft process, it makes sense why some were banging the table for Stowers to land in Philadelphia. Standing 6-foot-4, 239 pounds with long arms and a comparable 40 time to Lemon, Stowers is relatively new to the tight end position after beginning his career as a quarterback at Texas A&M. That didn’t stop Stowers, though, from making absolutely incredible plays paired up with Diego Pavia at both New Mexico and at Vanderbilt as his top offensive option.

Does Stowers have some work to do in order to become a true replacement for Dallas Goedert? Most certainly, but he is a ready-made NFL-caliber pass catcher who will make plays for the Eagles in the middle of the field while deployed out of the slot. Call him a tight end, move him to wide receiver down the line if he can’t become a good enough blocker to play the position, but after watching teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars panic draft players like Nate Boerkircher multiple rounds ahead of their spot on the consensus board because of a run at the position, Roseman once again worked the board perfectly.

Round 3, Pick 68: Markel Bell, OT, Miami

Grade: B

With pass catchers thoroughly addressed with their first two picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Eagles targeted the trenches with their final pick before the fifth round, adding Markel Bell out of Miami 68th overall.

Now the first thing most will notice about Bell is that he will instantly become one of the biggest players in the NFL. Standing 6-foot-9, 346 pounds, Bell is bigger than Lane Johnson and even Jordan Mailata, who is usually the first man off the Birds’ bus due to his imposing physique. While Bell does have a high center of gravity, which will force him to really maintain his technique in order to compete with the best edge rushers the NFL has to offer, Roseman noted he had impressive footwork and echoed long-time offensive coordinator Jeff Stoutland’s belief to bet on unique athletes.

Will Bell have much of an impact on the field for the Eagles in 2026? No, probably not, as he isn’t expected to cross-train at guard during camp, and will likely be behind long-time swing tackle Fred Johnson on the depth chart on gamedays, but if injuries pile up, new offensive line coach Chris Kuper will be happy to have a big, high-upside option on his bench who could help to avoid an all-out disaster at one of the tackle spots.

Round 5 Pick 178: Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State

Grade: B

The biggest question surrounding Cole Payton and his future in Philadelphia is what position he will play: quarterback or offensive weapon?

If Payton is strictly a backup quarterback, this pick is fine. The Eagles need to eventually nab a new developmental arm now that Tanner McKee is in the final year of his rookie contract and could be moved before Week 1. A south paw with a great resume from North Dakota State, a program the Eagles have scouted in the past thanks to Carson Wentz, Payton threw for 3,188 and 21 touchdowns over his time in Fargo, while picking up 1,918 yards and 31 touchdowns on the ground as a true dual-threat option. At worst, he can at least scramble around and pick up yards with both his arm and legs as a reserve behind Andy Dalton and could hopefully develop into a solid backup just like his fellow NDSU product, Easton Stick.

If, however, the Eagles view Payton as a player who can be active on game days as a wildcat QB/slot receiver/tight end/running back/gunner/overall weapon? Then this might be a very good use of a fifth-round pick, especially alongside other players like Lemon and Stowers, who are more hybrid players than your traditional NFL prototypes.

If it’s the former, there were probably better QBs still on the board at pick 178. But if it’s the latter, then the Eagles made a very forward-thinking pick for now and beyond.

Round 6, Pick 207: Micah Morris, OG, Georgia

Grade: A

And in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, Roseman went back to his home away from home, Athens, Georgia, to add a Bulldogs guard who played 1,480 snaps split between left and right guard over his college tenure.

Standing 6-foot-4, 334 pounds, Morris is a very good athlete for the position, with his 5.09 40 time, 1.73 10-yard split headlining an athletic performance that ranked fourth among all guards at the 2026 NFL Combine. Morris is a good puller who knows a thing or two about facing off against elite defenders like Jalen Carter, who overlapped during their time together at UAG, and best of all, he didn’t allow a single sack over his college career, according to PFF.

Is Morris a steal or a guard-only reserve, which teams are souring on as rosters become more and more specialized? Fans will find out soon enough, but the rationale behind the pick is sound.

Round 7, Pick 244: Cole Wisniewski, S, Texas Tech

Grade: B+

In 2022, the Eagles signed an undrafted free agent safety by the name of Reed Blankenship, who went on to play important roles on multiple teams with Super Bowl aspirations.

In 2026, the Eagles didn’t want to wait for undrafted free agency, and instead used one of their three seventh-round picks on Cole Wisneiwski, a safety who drew multiple Blankenship comps for his play, not just his potential spot in the Excited Whites.

Standing 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Wisniewski is the kind of player teams look for at the end of the draft. He was an All-American at North Dakota State alongside Payton, where he recorded a conference-leading eight interceptions in 2023 and even has some experience at linebacker, a potential position he could play in defensive subpackages as a sixth defensive back.

Will Wisniewski start in Week 1? Probably not, but if he has a solid summer, he should make the roster and will likely be active on game days for his special teams abilities at a minimum.

Round 7, Pick 251: Uar Bernard, DT, International Player Pathway

Grade: A+

What is there really to say about Uar Bernard that hasn’t been said already? He’s never played football before, but would have been the best defensive athlete in this year’s class thanks to his incredible combination of size-speed-strength showcased at the HBCU combine.

Unless something goes really good or really bad for Bernard over the summer, he will almost certainly spend the year on the Eagles’ roster but inactive for game days, and might even befall a similar fate in 2027 Jordan Mailata-style but if he can become a player before the end of his four-year contract and learn a sport some have been playing for 20 years before they make it to the NFL, this pick will be an all-timer.

Round 7, Pick 252: Keyshawn James-Newby, OLB, New Mexico

Grade: B+

And last but not least, the Eagles went back to defense in the seventh round and added another interesting pass rusher in Keyshawn James-Newby, who finished out his final college season with nine sacks over 13 games at New Mexico.

A one-year starter in the Land of Enchantment, James-Newby is a very modern college football player, beginning his career at Montana Tech from 2021-22 before transferring to Idaho from 2023-24 before finally suiting up for the Lobo in 2025.

Though he’s a tad undersized to be an NFL edge rusher, limiting his ceiling to that of a designated pass rusher with special teams upside, James-Newby did amass 37 sacks while playing for three different programs, so for one of the last picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, that is a worthy shot to take.