Philadelphia Eagles 2026 Draft Class Receives Terrible Ranking

There’s plenty of blame to go around when it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles’ slow start to the 2026 NFL season. Coaching, injuries and execution all share some of the fault.

But some blame should also fall on general manager Howie Roseman, because so far Philadelphia’s 2026 draft class hasn’t provided much on-field impact for the Birds, and the class recently ranked very poorly compared to those of other teams.

Eagles’ Rookie Class Ranked Second-to-Last in Entire NFL

Justin Melo of Sports Illustrated recently ranked every team’s draft class through five weeks of action, and Philadelphia’s came in ranked at No. 31 out of 32 teams. The Los Angeles Rams’ rookie class was the only one ranked lower than the Eagles. Melo pointed to the struggles of first-round pick wide receiver Makai Lemon combined with the fact that second-round pick tight end Eli Stowers hasn’t played yet as rationale for the ranking.

“Makai Lemon ranks near the bottom of rookie receivers in yards per route run (Y/RR) and average depth of target (aDOT). The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t let Lemon consistently run real routes. Eli Stowers has been unplayable as a rookie,” Melo wrote.

“Markel Bell is the new starting right tackle following Lane Johnson’s midseason retirement, so we’ll assess him shortly. The early returns on this class have been extremely rough.”

In addition to Lemon, Stowers and Bell, Philadelphia’s rookie class also consists of quarterback Cole Payton, guard Micah Morris, safety Cole Wisniewski, defensive tackle Uar Bernard and linebacker Keyshawn James-Newby.

Makai Lemon Has Flashed Some Potential Early in the Season

As the first-round pick from the class, Makai Lemon is going to receive a bulk of attention, and the USC product has flashed some potential. On the season so far, Lemon has 15 receptions for 108 yards, which isn’t amazing, but the Eagles haven’t helped him much by consistently calling screen passes for him without proper blocking.

When he’s been able to run routes down the field, Lemon has demonstrated an ability to get open, make the catch and even gain some additional yardage after the catch. The Eagles need to lean into that side of his game more, as opposed to trying to make him a gimmick receiver.

Moving forward, it will be on the coaching staff to put Lemon in position to succeed, which they haven’t done consistently so far. The talent is clearly there, it just needs to be properly utilized.