How Are the Philadelphia Eagles Looking After the Draft?
The current state of the Eagles roster after the NFL draft, large offensive linemen, and the roster holes Howie has left to fill
You go to dinner at your parents’ house, and your uncle is there. He’s quirky but overall a pretty good time. He’s the kind of guy who uses a traffic cone to reserve a parking spot in front of his house and watches NCIS reruns like LeBron watches game tape. When he’s not bumping that same Rick James CD in his Dodge Neon, he’s devouring a healthy diet of Sports Radio WIP. He’s gotten close to calling in a few times, but doesn’t love the sound of his own voice. Eagles football is his religion, and Reggie White is his holy ghost.
He usually asks you things like “now nephew, what is all this I hear about Jalen Hurts” or “young fella, what’s good with your guy Sirianni?” Before you can answer, he offers nostalgia as a solution, saying things like “now (insert player from the 80’s) that was a real (insert their position)” or “the game hasn’t been the same since the pads got smaller.”
Like clockwork, before the pot roast hits the plate, he pops the cap off a fresh Yuengling and hurls a question in your general direction, “So, what’s going on with the Birds?”
Your uncle asks a fair question. We have reached offseason purgatory. Free agency and the NFL draft are over, and training camp doesn’t start until late June. For the next few months, us football sickos will have to find new hobbies like woodworking or betting our life savings on how many clouds will be in the sky on a particular day on Kalshi.
But for the past few months, the Eagles have made some big changes. They’ve shed some skin and embraced an offensive metamorphosis under new coordinator Sean Mannion. So there’s a lot to catch your uncle up on. And after he tells you about Ron Jaworski and the 1981 Super Bowl, here’s how you can answer his question.
How Did the Eagles Do in the Draft?
In the past week, football pundits graded each NFL team’s draft. Grades are typically assigned based on which teams the media thinks got the most value or brought in the best talent for their systems and situations.
Fortunately for Birds fans, the football community thought Howie Roseman drafted pretty well this year. Unfortunately, a draft grade is like farting in a movie theater. In the moment, it’s all anyone can think about, but a few months from now, most people won’t even remember it happened.
The Eagles brought in a group of high upside players who have a lot to prove. Some players could help the team immediately, some could grow into contributors in a few seasons, and some could become integral pieces to the team’s present and future identity. But Philly still took some risks. They bet on past production at key positions and took big swings on players with elite physical traits. Here’s a look at who they drafted.
Makai Lemon (wide receiver from USC): I wrote about my guy Makai last week. He’s a versatile wide receiver who does his best work out of the slot and in the middle of the field. He plays like a pitbull (the dog, not Mr. Worldwide), with the toughness of that old pair of New Balances you still wear. Dude catches everything thrown in his direction. He’s a little undersized and lacks elite physical traits, but has a serious case of “that dog in him.” If Jalen Hurts can evolve his game to attack the middle of the field, Lemon will be his best friend.
Eli Stowers (tight end from Vanderbilt): Stowers won the John Mackey Award last year as the best tight end in college football. Coached by ex-Eagle Jordan Matthews, Stowers plays like a supersized slot receiver with smooth route running and great hands. He’s an explosive pass catcher and incredible athlete who should do well as long as he’s not asked to block anyone.
Markel Bell (offensive lineman from Miami): Markel Bell is big, but he’s also huge. On top of that, he’s enormous. He didn’t allow a sack as a senior. Did I also mention, he’s massive? (check out this review of Bell on the Trenchwarfare Substack)
Cole Payton (quarterback out of North Dakota State AKA “The House that Wentz Built”): Cole Payton’s draft comp is a trebuchet. He’s a mountain of a man who, at 6-foot-3, 232 lbs, is bigger than A.J. Brown. He throws the ball far and fast, had a 72% completion percentage in 2025, and sprints like a runaway train (he had 29 carries of 10-plus yards in 2025). The downside, he’s only thrown 282 passes in his college football career and needs to tighten up some inconsistent mechanics.
Micah Morris (offensive lineman out of Georgia): The only Georgia lineman to start every game in 2025 also never allowed a sack. A raw player who has work to do to become a starting guard in the NFL.
Cole Wisniewski (safety out of Texas Tech): The Eagles put a quarter in the safety machine and are hoping it spits out another Reed Blankenship.
Uar Bernard (just a dude from Nigeria): The most fascinating pick is a dude who has never played football at all. Bernard is part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program that gives opportunities to players abroad. The same program that brought Jordan Mailata to the Eagles in 2018 (which turned out pretty well). Uar is built like he was bitten by a radioactive spider. He has a chance to be one of the most insane athletes to ever touch a football field. The 6-foot-4, 306 lbs, 21-year-old Nigerian is training to be a defensive lineman. Bernard’s testing was off the charts with a broad jump that was 14 inches more than any other defensive tackle in the combine and a 4.63 40-yard dash.
Keyshawn James-Newby (defensive end out of the University of New Mexico): Led the Mountain West in sacks last year, so that’s something. But overall would be pleasantly surprised if he made an impact.
How’s the Roster Shaping Up?
The Eagles have spent premium resources solidifying Sean Mannion’s vision for the offense. With an impending A.J. Brown trade, they overhauled their wide receiver room with the additions of Hollywood Brown (who I argue should change his name to “South Philly” Brown), Dontayvion Wicks (AKA “Don Wick)”, Elijah Moore, and Makai Lemon as they shift towards a more egalitarian approach to complement DeVonta Smith.
They brought back Dallas Goedert (AKA The Man Named After A City), signed a couple of blocking tight ends, and drafted a supersized pass catcher in Eli Stowers.
The defensive roster looks strong with the addition of Tariq Woolen in the secondary and the acquisition of veteran pass rusher Jonathan Greenard, whom the Eagles acquired from the Minnesota Vikings during the draft for two 3rd-round picks. Greenard is a certified stud and was only traded from Minnesota because the money didn’t work with the Vikings’ current cap situation. The 28-year-old is a versatile pass rusher who was 7th in the league in pressure rate last year despite dealing with a shoulder injury. He steps into Jaelan Phillips’ role as the premier pass rusher on the defensive line alongside Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith, and newly signed Arnold Ebiketie.
So what are the Eagles’ remaining needs? The only glaring hole in Uncle Vic Fangio’s defense is at safety. Andrew Mukuba steps back into the starting role after an up-and-down rookie season that ended early with injury. Marcus Epps is set to start across from him, and Michael Carter, whom the Eagles traded for from the Jets last year, is making the switch from slot to safety.
The safety group is as inspiring as a made-for-TV movie about Joey Chestnut (“How one man ate a million hotdogs. A&E presents Hunger for Greatness: The Joey Chestnut Story”). But I think Howie Roseman is comfortable going into the season with replacement-level play at the position.
There are solid starting safeties available in the free agent market, and the Eagles are banking on an improved secondary with Tariq Woolen being able to take the pressure off the safeties in Fangio’s scheme. The safety position is one you can easily cover up. The main thing the Eagles will miss from the loss of Reed Blankenship is his play in the run game.
The Eagles could also use solid depth on the offensive and defensive lines. Roseman drafted offensive linemen who feel more like long-term projects rather than short-term understudies. With injuries weaving their way through this offensive line last year, it would behoove the Birds to bring in some free-agent depth in case someone goes down. Maybe a reunion with our old friend Mekhi Becton is in the works?
Aside from Becton, there are several veteran linemen available who have experience in the new wide zone scheme with ties to Mannion’s influences in Sean McVay, Kevin O’Connell, or Matt LaFleur. The defensive line could use some depth on the interior as well. Someone who can eat up snaps (also like Joey Chestnut) and provide solid run support. Veteran options are available to sign there as well.
What’s this I Hear About The Eagles Losing Front Office Executives?
In less sexy news, the Eagles lost two key members of their front office this week in Assistant General Manager Alec Halaby and Senior Vice President Bryce Johnston. Howie Roseman’s front office has been a wellspring of talent for the past several years, with teams around the league wanting a piece of the Kelly Green mojo. Both Halaby and Johnston are big losses for the franchise.
Halaby was instrumental in implementing advanced analytics throughout the organization. After starting as an intern in 2007, he rose through the ranks and played a pivotal role in player acquisition and evaluation, team-building, and sports performance. He helped overhaul the Eagles into one of the most forward-thinking and innovative front offices.
Bryce Johnston was the cap guru. He acted as the Eagles’ lead cap strategist and played a key role in player contract negotiations. Johnston leaves to join the Atlanta Falcons as their Senior Vice President of Football Administration under General Manager Ian Cunningham (another Eagles front office alum).
If you’re interested in replacing them, just drop off your resume on the doorstep of the Linc wrapped in an A.J. Brown jersey.
So What’s Next?
This is where you tell your uncle during dessert how we’ll all be held hostage by the A.J. Brown trade speculation for the next month. But a resolution is coming after June 1, when the dead cap hit for trading Brown goes down, so until then, maybe find time to catch up on episodes of NCIS and research the World Cup.