Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Young Guns

Posted November 14th, 2026 | No Comments »

When a season falls apart you shift your focus from the postseason to next season. That means you are looking at the young players and trying to figure out how they fit into the team’s future plans. Let’s talk about the Eagles young players, both what we’ve seen and what we should be looking for.

I think it is important to understand that young players are a work in progress. Seeing guys like Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean thrive as rookies is the exception, not the norm. There is no definitive timeline. Every player’s circumstances can be different so you really should judge them as individuals. You are looking to see if they have the talent to play in the NFL. That’s most important. After that you are judging them on effort, football intelligence, consistency, and other things like that. Don’t look for finished products. See if the players show the skillset needed to succeed in the NFL.

QB – Tanner McKee got a chance to start three games, but unfortunately he struggled. He didn’t show progress from what we’ve seen in the past. He was playing in a new offensive scheme and had injuries to deal with, but you wanted to see him show you something. There would be good moments in the games that got your hopes up and then there would be a lot of mediocrity. Joe Milton made his Eagles debut last week. He showed the physical ability you are looking for in an NFL QB. I knew he had a strong arm, but didn’t realize how good of a runner he is. Milton hasn’t been with the Eagles for even a month so he’s still doing a lot of learning. You hope to see him look more calm and in control in his next start. Rookie Cole Payton only started for one year in college so he’s raw and has a lot to learn. I don’t know that you want him starting this season, but it would be nice to see him play some QB later on just to get an idea of where he is.

RB – Will Shipley was having his best season before he got hurt. He is a good #3 RB, KOR, and STer. Hopefully he’ll be back soon. Jaydon Blue and Carson Steele are no longer with the team.

WR – Rookie Makai Lemon has played pretty well this year. Does he look like a Top 15 pick? That’s very debatable, but I don’t think the dysfunctional offense is doing him any favors. Lemon is 37-312-1 so far and looks like a good chain-mover. He is comfortable working the middle of the field. He shows a feel for getting open. He’s got good hands (although he did have 2 drops last Sunday). Lemon has good RAC ability. He’s a willing blocker. The biggest question for me is if he can become more of a playmaker. Lemon looks like he can be a good slot receiver. Darius Cooper has emerged this season, going 13-200-4. He has shown playmaking ability.

He’s made some tough grabs. Cooper has shown good speed. He is smart and tough. He is a willing blocker, but needs to be more consistent in that area. I don’t necessarily see a future starter, but he can absolutely be part of a good WR corps. And he could develop into a starter.

TE – EJ Jenkins made the team after a good summer, but he failed to do much in the season.  Grant Calcaterra hasn’t shown any progress this season. Please let this maddening experiment end. Rookie Eli Stowers has only played a few snaps in each of his three games. He is 3-53 as a receiver. He’s shown some effort as a blocker, but we really don’t have much of a feel for him. They need to get Stowers more snaps so we can evaluate him. The biggest thing I want to see is the athleticism that got him drafted. That was missing for most of the summer. We know his blocking will be an issue. Let’s see some speed, quickness, and agility. If that is there, we can work on the other stuff.

OL – Drew Kendall has mostly played well, but has had bad moments in each game. He shows good athleticism. He snaps the ball well. Kendall can anchor in pass pro. He’s got excellent feet and plays with outstanding effort. There are times when he needs to play stronger. He also just gets sloppy at times, like his holding call last week. No reason to hold on a play going to the outside. Negated a 10-yard run by Milton. Kendall looks like a guy you wanting starting for the foreseeable future. Markel Bell has been up and down. He is a rookie and is learning a new position so we need to grade on a curve. The first thing that jumps out is his size. The good news is that he plays big, as a bully in the run game and then he uses his length well in pass pro. He’s got two key issues. His pad level is too high at times. That’s going to be a constant battle for someone who is 6-9. He must improve with his hands. He wins when he gets his hands on defenders cleanly. When he’s sloppy, guys are able to beat him.

I think Bell has shown enough promise that the team will project him as the RT of the future.

Willie Lampkin got to start a couple of games at LG and was solid. His lack of size was an issue at times, but he is tough, physical, and relentless. I don’t know that you want him as a full time starter. He does have real value as a backup at G/C. Jake Majors started a couple of games at C. He was up and down. He isn’t special physically in any way. He’s best suited to being a practice squad guy that you call up when needed.

DL – Ty Robinson had a good summer and secured a roster spot. He’s played on defense and STs this year. He’s good on STs. He hasn’t stood out much on defense. He’s got 5 tackles. Robinson is a solid athlete and shows a good motor. He’s got to do a better job of getting off blocks. He could develop into a solid backup, but must continue to improve. You can’t count on him being a key role player at this point. He’s not shown enough. There was a hope that Byron Young would show real improvement coming off a 2025 season where he showed some potential. Young hasn’t taken the next step. He continues to struggle as a run defender and hasn’t shown much as a pass rusher. He’s got 15 tackles this year. With the Jordan Davis trade, there will be DT reps available. This is a big opportunity for Young and Robinson. Will either one take advantage of it?

ED – Jalyx Hunt had a great summer and got everyone excited. That hasn’t translated to the regular season. He’s been solid, but not the difference-maker we hoped to see. Hunt has 19 tackles, 2 TFLs, 6 QB hits, and 2 PDs. He does not have a sack this season. An injury in Week 5 hasn’t helped, but he still wasn’t great before that. I still see a talented, disruptive edge rusher. Maybe he’s trying to do too much. It doesn’t feel like he’s cleanly beating OTs off the edge consistently. He is a solid run defender and is good when he has to drop into coverage. I still think Hunt has a bright future. Rookie Keyshawn James-Newby hasn’t played much, but you can see good athletic ability. I would love the team to get him on the field some on defense or even STs to get him some experience and to see if he flashes some potential.

LB – Jihaad Campbell was up and down before a knee injury cost him to miss a few games. He’s got 49 tackles, 1 sack, 1 PD, 1 TFL, and 1 QB hit. Campbell has had issues on run defense. He gets tuck on blocks way too much. Campbell has been up and down in coverage. The Eagles put him in some tough situations to try and take advantage of his athleticism. Some of his coverage numbers are misleading because of that.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr has started three games and is playing the best football of his career. He’s got 51 tackles, 2 QB hits, 1 PD, 3 TFLs, and half a sack. I thought teams might test him in coverage since that isn’t Trot’s strength. That hasn’t been an issue so far. The Eagles have blitzed him a decent amount, which is a way to limit exposing him in coverage. Trot is a good run defender. He is at his best attacking downhill and getting into the backfield. He is physical and tackles well. I love the emotion and intensity he plays with. I think he can be a starting LB. Smael Mondon got to play when Zack Baun got hurt last week. Mondon did well for a guy thrust into duty. He tackled well and showed good potential in coverage. Mondon is a good backup and STer. He could develop into a starter in time. The things to watch if he does play some more are run fits and shedding blocks. If he can be a solid run defender, Mondon could be an effective starter.

SAF – Drew Mukuba in in Year 2. He played well in the middle of last season so the hope was that would carry over to 2026. Mukuba has been inconsistent. He has been tough and physical against the run. He’s also been too aggressive at times and then given up big plays. He has the speed and range to be a centerfielder, but hasn’t made many plays in that role this year. Mukuba is up and down in man coverage. He’s got 52 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PDs and 1 FF this season. The talent is there. The potential is there. The consistency isn’t.

Rookie Cole Wisniewski has mainly played on STs. If he gets in on defense the thing to watch is his speed. Is he fast enough for the NFL? There were times in the preseason when he looked a bit slow.

CB – We haven’t seen much of either Mac McWilliams or Kelee Ringo on defense. With McWilliams I’m looking to see if he’s got the athleticism needed to be a starter or key backup. Ringo has the size and athleticism. We are looking for instincts and smart play from him.

ST – LS Rocco Underwood has snapped well and done a good job of hustling downfield in coverage.

OVERALL

The Eagles have some talented young players in place. The problem is that the team hoped some of them would emerge as stars (Hunt, Campbell, Mukuba) and that hasn’t happened. None of the rookies has stood out. There is untapped potential. If the coaches can figure out a way to get more out of the young guys, the team could look better in the second half of the season.

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