Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

2026 Draft – Day 3 Review

Posted April 25th, 2026 | No Comments »

The Eagles entered the day with 3 picks, and none in the fourth round. Howie Roseman had to wait a couple of hours to get going, but ended up having an active day. A trade with the Rams added a couple of extra picks.

Round 1: No. 23 – WR Makai Lemon – 5-11, 192 – USC
Round 2: No. 54 – TE Eli Stowers – 6-4, 239 – Vanderbilt
Round 3: No. 68 – OT Markell Bell – 6-9, 346 – Miami
Round 3: No. 98 – traded for ED Jonathan Greenard
Round 5: No. 178 – QB Cole Payton – 6-3, 232 – NDSU
Round 6: No. 207 – OG Micah Morris – 6-5, 334 – Georgia
Round 7: No. 244 – S Cole Wisniewski – 6-3, 219 – Texas Tech
Round 7: No. 251 – DT Uar Bernard – 6-4, 306 – IPP
Round 7: No. 252 – ED Keyshawn James-Newby – 6-2, 238 – New Mexico

We had to wait a long time for the first pick. Some people were disappointed that it was QB Cole Payton. I was totally fine with the pick. Payton is naturally gifted and QB is the most important position in football. The Eagles did a lot of work on Payton and really wanted him.

The big concern for some is that the team now has 4 QBs on the roster. Don’t worry about that too much. Howie wouldn’t have made the pick if he didn’t have a plan. Jalen Hurts is a lock, obviously. Tanner McKee is a lock, unless the Eagles are able to trade him. Andy Dalton and Payton need to earn roster spots. They could always cut Dalton and try to get him on the practice squad. There apparently wasn’t much of a trade market for McKee this weekend. That could change in the summer. Howie said in his press conference that they would be willing to keep 4 QBs on the roster. This is probably a mixture of truth and also Howie letting teams know he won’t be giving McKee away. They will have to pay the price if they want him.

Now let’s talk about Payton the player. Here are my raw notes.

Cole Payton – 6-3, 232 – One-year starter with outstanding mobility. Ran for 777 yards and 13 TDs in 2025. Left-handed passer. Good accuracy on downfield throws. Throws well on the move. Good arm. Played in a run heavy offense. Only threw 225 passes as a senior, only 283 for his career. Good athlete. Payton is a project because he hasn’t been in an offense focused on the passing game and he lacks ideal experience. Has the size, athleticism and tools to develop into an NFL QB.

He needs work to be sure, but has the raw talent.

I think Payton has the potential to be a starting QB down the road. For now he provides the Eagles a cheap backup QB when McKee leaves.

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Next up, the Eagles added a big man to the middle of the OL, taking Micah Morris from Georgia.

Micah Morris – 6-5, 334 – Georgia – 18 career starts. Big, thick build. Still quick off the ball. Powerful player with strong hands. Needs to work on using them better. Too grabby at times. Moves well for a guy his size. Anchors well. Good on short pulls. Plays with a wide base in pass pro. Has some athleticism, but is a bit stiff. Good Combine numbers. Too uright at times. Can get off balance. Good showing at the Shrine Game. Has experience at LG and RG.

Morris is big, but still athletic.

Morris does need some work. He can be too upright at times. You can get away with that in college, but no so much in the NFL. He needs to be better with his hands. He can be too grabby. These are things coaches can fix. They can’t teach big and athletic. You have that or you don’t. I had A 5th round grade on Morris so he feels like good value at this point.

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The Eagles finally added a safety with the next pick.

Cole Wisniewski – 6-3, 219 – Texas Tech – 6-year player, mostly at NDSU. Had 32 career starts. Had strong senior season. 73 tackles, 6 TFLs, 5 PDs, 2 FF. Began his career at LB before moving to S. Had 8 INTs while at NDSU. Wrap up tackler with good power. Big hitter. Looks good in man coverage. Played some slot in the Shrine Game and looked good there. Physical presence, whether in the box or the deep middle. Takes good angles to the ball. Can match up with TEs in man coverage. Doesn’t have ideal speed. Already age 24.

I wondered if he would interest them with his skill set. The Eagles seem to like guys with good man cover skills and some experience as a nickel. Wisniewski isn’t that guy. But then he went to the Shrine Game and showed some versatility. That got my attention.

Wisniewski will be a good STer right away. He can develop into a starting safety over time if he proves he can handle the pro passing game. His run defense is NFL ready right now. He is physical.

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Howie admitted the Eagles made sure to get a 7th round pick because he wanted to draft DT Uar Bernard. Who? Who indeed.

Calling Bernard an athletic freak feels like an understatement. He is basically the same speed as Grant Calcaterra, but is 70 pounds heavier. That’s insane. He has no football experience so this is a long shot. Jordan Mailata panned out, but was good at a similar sport and just had to adjust to football. Bernard is a blank slate. Clint Hurtt worked him out and has met with him multiple times so the Eagles did their homework. This is a gamble they feel is worth it because of Bernard’s potential. He will be interesting to follow this summer. Becaus he’s an international player the Eagles get a roster exemption for him so this is a smart gamble.

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With the final pick the Eagles took someone I had not studied, ED Keyshawn James-Newby – 6-2, 238 – New Mexico. Since the draft ended and I had a chance to watch him, I can see what they like.

KJN is impressive. He can win with speed. He will mix in power rushes. He can set the edge in the run game. He dropped back into coverage at times. That is the skill set that Fangio loves in his edge rushers. Watch that tape and you see him making plays against Michigan and UCLA. He wasn’t just eating up weak competition.

We don’t know how his game will translate to the NFL, but this is a good late round pick. You can never have enough pass rushers.

***

Howie didn’t have ideal resources on Day 3, but I liked what he did. He added a talented QB, addressed the LOS and got us a safety. That’s good work. The Eagles targeted some players and went and got them. That’s what you want to do. Now we’ll find out if they targeted the right players.

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The Eagles have signed some UDFAs. I will write about them tomorrow. Sometimes players come and go in the first 24 hours so there’s no reason to do too much work until we feel confident about who is really here.

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