The best direction for Eagles to go in 2026 draft? Finding long-term replacement at a position

What the Philadelphia Eagles have accomplished in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft over the past five years is nothing short of remarkable.

DeVonta Smith, Landon Dickerson, Milton Williams, Jordan Davis, Cam Jurgens, Nakobe Dean, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Jalyx Hunt -- all taken within the first three rounds. The Eagles drafted for want and for need.

The Eagles needed to restock the cupboard at many of these positions, while also making sure other positions are set for years to come.

Enter Cam Jurgens.

When Jason Kelce was nearing the end of his Hall of Fame career, the Eagles took Jurgens in the secodn round of the 2022 draft. Jurgens was the successor at center for Kelce, even though the Eagles didn't know when Kecle was going to retire.

Kelce eventually played two more years, the final one next to Jurgens (who moved to right guard while Kelce was at center). The Eagles had an in-house replacement they developed and didn't have to address center when Kelce decided to move on from football and start the next phase of his life.

The Eagles are in the same situation with another future Hall of Famer in Lane Johnson.

Johnson is turning 36 years old next month and is on the back half of his career. He has aspirations of playing until he's 40, but who knows when the body will tell the mind when it's time to retire.

Johnson is still at the top of his game -- like Kelce was when the Eagles drafted Jurgens. he hasn't allowed a sack in four of the past five seasons, with a pressure rate allowed of just 2.8%. Johnson has allowed just three sacks total since the start of the 2021 season.

While Johnson is still elite, the Eagles would be wise to select a tackle in the early rounds of this draft. The best direction they could go is finding a long-term replacement at a position, specifically at tackle.

Like the Eagles did with Jurgens, that tackle doesn't have to start right away. The Eagles are set at tackle for 2026, not making it a posiiton of need. They even have Fred Johnson as a No. 3 tackle, giving any pick even more time to develop.

There may not be a clear path for a tackle this seaosn, but the opportunity to lean from a future Hall of Famer is something the Eagles can't ignore.

"If you're forcing something, you're not really filling the need anyway,' said Eagles general manager Howie Roseman this week. "And so it's so hard to find elite players at any position that you certainly wouldn't want to turn down the opportunity at an important position to get a player that you think has a chance to be a good starter, a Pro Bowl starter.

"So it starts there with evaluation of the player and having guys like Lane on this team and the elite level that he plays with, I think watching him and watching how he works, watching how he trains, watching how he dedicates his life to this game during the week, during the season.

The Eagles understand why it's valuable to take a long-term replacement for any of their aging veterans if they have an opportunity to do so. With Johnson still in the facility, the long-term replacement looks even more of a safer bet.

"I mean that's instrumental in understanding what it takes to be a great pro," Roseman said. "And so there's so much value in watching those guys instead of hearing about those guys."