Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

2026 Eagles Draft Preview

Posted April 23rd, 2026 | 1 Comment »

The draft is upon us. This is an important draft for the Eagles as they are potentially trading AJ Brown in a few months and need some long term replacements at a few positions. Howie Roseman has the resource to be aggressive if he wants. Or he can play the board as things fall and add a slew of good players.

While this isn’t a great draft class, it actually matches up with the Eagles pretty well. They didn’t have that luck last year and the overall class was a bit underwhelming. Howie has a chance to add some key players and good depth this week.

For the first time I put together an Eagles Draft Preview in PDF form. You can download it here. This is almost 30 pages long. It covers players of interest, positional rankings, profiles for prospects who fit the Eagles, a value board and a couple of other things. I hope you like it. My apologies for the delay in getting it finished. My chemo treatment yesterday lasted much longer than anticipated so I’m a bit behind schedule. No worries. Everything went well, just not as fast as I wanted during draft week.

Now I want to talk about what I’m hoping happens this week.

The biggest priority for me is getting an OT. The Eagles need a player to replace Lane Johnson and this class has good options so you need to get one now. Let him sit and learn. Or challenge at RG.

Daniel Jeremiah posted his mock draft and had the Eagles trading to 15 to take OT Kadyn Proctor. Why 15? Had to get ahead of the Lions, who reportedly want him.

For those who wonder if Proctor is worth it, watch this and you’ll see his potential. He could be special. Could being the key word, of course.

It finally occurred to me who he reminds me of. Former Eagle Shawn Andrews. Injuried derailed his career, but when on the field he was a dominant blocker, especially in the run game. He was special. Proctor could challenge at RG this year and move to RT when Lane moves on. I can see Howie trying to pull this off. He covets players with special ability. Proctor can be special.

You will hear a lot of talk about the run on OL. There will be one. The good news is that one of the OTs should make it to 23 if Howie can’t move up. Max Iheanachor should be there.

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The next priority for me is edge rusher. This doesn’t have to be the second round pick, but that would be my preference. In a fantasy world Malachai Lawrence would drop to 54. If this was a fantasy world Kate Middleton and I would be having a tickle fight. Unfortunately we live in reality and Lawrence isn’t falling to 54. He might go late first. R Mason Thomas would be my next preference. I love his relentless style and the fact he is so aggressive, even against much bigger OTs.

The other guy who might be in play at 54 or 68 is Dani Dennis-Sutton. Howie may prefer him because DDS has big time potential.

The Eagles brought him in for a visit so they are definitely interested. We’ll see how much they like him on Friday night. He would be the big edge that Fangio probably would love as a replacement for Jaelan Phillips.

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Those are the primary needs for me. Obviously the Eagles need to add a TE and a safety. Those are deep positions so the team has the flexibility to address them at different points. You don’t have to force a pick. The key is to find out which guys you really want and target them. Some of you really want a blocking TE. There are several available. I am open to anything, as long as the TE is a willing blocker. I can’t deal with Grant Calcaterra Jr.

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WR is a position the Eagles have done a lot of work on. They will add someone. If things go crazy with OL in the first round, the Eagles could take a receiver. I don’t see that as likely, but it is possible. There will be good options in the second and third rounds. Heck, there are some interesting guys on Day 3.

One second rounder the Eagles have shown interest in is Chris Bell.

He tore his ACL early enough that he could be ready this summer. He is a big receiver with great RAC ability. Bell would be a lot of fun in the new offense.

They could also go for Ted Hurst, Antonio Williams or Germie Bernard. All three are really good players. I have De’Zhaun Stribling as a third rounder, but he could sneak into the second round.

Key Day 3 targets could be Deion Burks and Bryce Lance.

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The Eagles are likely to add an OG to give depth behind Landon Dickerson. This isn’t a great class, but there are some good options in rounds 2-4. We’re all curious to see what kind of player they go after. Keylan Rutledge, Brian Parker, Gennings Dunker and Beau Stephens are some of my favorite options.

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The Eagles could add a CB, DT, or LB. They have targeted guys at all three spots. I just don’t think they are as important as other positions. But you never know when a guy you like is going to fall. If he does, you go grab him.

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So what is an ideal draft for me, but still based in reality.

Round 1: No. 23 – OT Max Iheanachor – Arizona State – 6-5, 321

Round 2: No. 54 – ED R Mason Thomas – Oklahoma – 6-2, 241

Round 3: No. 68 – TE Justin Joly – NC State – 6-4, 241

Round 3: No. 98 – WR Bryce Lance – NDSU – 6-3, 204

Round 4: No. 114 – S Kamari Ramsey – USC – 6-0, 202

Round 4: No. 137 – OG Brian Parker – Duke – 6-5, 309

Round 5: No. 178 – CB Hezekiah Masses – Cal – 6-1, 179

Round 6: No. 197 – DT Cameron Ball – Arkansas – 6-4, 310

Ideally I would love for Howie to add a fourth round pick so they could take DT Kaleb Proctor if he’s there.

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All of this goes out the window if there are trades for veterans. We know the Eagles are talking to the Vikings about ED Jonathan Greenard. They will likely reach out to the Steelers about ED Alex Highsmith.

Tanner McKee could be on the move if someone makes the right offer.

Then there is this from Adam Schefter.

The Eagles’ wish list of trade candidates goes well beyond Greenard, per sources, though. Roseman almost always has a Plan A, B, C and D, and his team is one to monitor on one of the busiest weekends of the NFL calendar.

Could they make a trade for something other than an edge rusher? Could they go for a veteran safety?

Stay tuned. Howie is always working the phones.

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Wild Cards

Posted April 21st, 2026 | 3 Comments »

We have all have an idea of what we think Howie Roseman will do over the next few days. He’ll target an OT in the first round. He’ll focus on the offense this year because he’s been so defense-heavy in recent drafts. So on and so forth. Let’s take a look at some players who could change things a bit if they slide a little or Howie just surprises us.

Malachi Lawrence is an edge rusher that most people had projected in the second round. He’s insanely athletic and the NFL has shown him a lot of love over the past couple of months. Now people think he could go in the 20’s. The Eagles had him in for a visit so they are interested. Howie might re-watch the last couple of Super Bowls and decide to go pass rusher at 23 and find the OT later on.

You can see from his RAS score that Lawrence is a special athlete. Then you watch him play and see that he is a complete player. He can rush, play the run and even drop into coverage. He could be the kind of edge rusher that Vic Fangio covets. If Uncle Vic talks enough, maybe Howie will listen.

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren was projected as a first rounder for a long time. Now Daniel Jeremiah is saying that he will probably fall into the second round. I think this is more about people targeting other spots than anything McNeil-Warren did. He is 6-4, 201, which is a good frame for a safety. He runs 4.52, which is fine. And his game tape is impressive.

McNeil-Warren isn’t the ideal nickel/safety that Fangio seems to prefer, but he is an impact hitter and tackler. He’s also got good ball skills. If he falls far enough in the second round, I wonder if Howie would go get him. I don’t think he will fall that far, but safety is such an unpredictable position in the draft that you never know. He and Mukuba would make an interesting pairing on the back end.

If Garrett Nussmeier somehow is available at pick 68, I could see the Eagles taking him. This isn’t about finding someone to challenge Jalen Hurts or anything like that. I can just see the Eagles liking Nussmeier. I’m sure they feel like they have a good perspective on him since his dad Doug was the OC for the Eagles in 2024.

Nussmeier is good at working the middle of the field. He came from a system that is similar to a pro offense. He has good feet and can move around in the pocket. He could develop into a solid starting QB, but would make a good backup for the next few years.

The Eagles appear set at RB. I wonder if Nick Singleton could tempt them if he’s available in the late fourth or fifth round. Singleton is a complete back. He can run, catch and block. He’s also a good KOR. You could bring him in to upgrade Will Shipley’s spot if you wanted.

Singleton has athleticism and burst that Shipley simply doesn’t have. You don’t need that from RB3 and your KOR, but Nick Sirianni obsesses on explosive plays. Singleton can deliver those because of his speed, skill set and versatility. He would be a good fit in the new offense.

The Eagles have a good DL already in place. Can you ever have enough? Caleb Banks is a really intriguing prospect. He is 6-6, 327 and has 35-inch arms. He ran 5.04 at the Combine and had a 32-inch vertical. Put on the tape and you see an absolute wrecking ball. At one point he lines up like a DE and beats the OT with a spin move. At 327 pounds! I see a guy who reminds me of Albert Haynesworth.

Banks has first round talent. He has medical concerns that mean he could fall. He injured one foot in 2024 and missed the bowl game. He injured the other foot in 2025 and only played in three games. He did make it back to play in the Senior Bowl and looked good. Still, you worry if foot issues on a massive man will be a lingering issue. If he falls to pick 54 or anywhere close, I could see Howie going after him. Howie likes special talent and Banks definitely has that. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a fellow Florida alum, like Mr. Roseman.

Fangio loves linebackers more than I love chocolate pudding. The Eagles recently had a virtual meeting with LB CJ Allen from Georgia. That doesn’t sound like a big deal until you realize that Allen could be a second round pick. Daniel Jeremiah has him as his #32 overall prospect. Dane Brugler had him going at 62 in a recent mock.

Would the Eagles jump on him at 54? That would seem kinda crazy since they just spent a first rounder on a LB last year. Allen would be Zack Baun’s long term replacement. He could develop for a year or two and then take over. I don’t love the thought of this, but it is hard to argue with Fangio. He’s pushed for a lot of players who have worked out really well so far.

I can’t wait for Thursday night to get here so we can finally see what Howie has in store, in terms of draft picks and possibly trades.

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