The Philadelphia Eagles will be hoping to land multiple contributors on both sides of the ball during the 2026 NFL Draft, which begins on Thursday night with the first round live from Pittsburgh, PA.

The Eagles enter this year’s draft with eight selections, including the No. 23 overall pick in the first round. It’s unclear what route Philadelphia will take, as they could use a safety, a pass rusher, or an offensive lineman. There’s also a chance the Eagles could take a wide receiver, given the uncertainty surrounding star wide receiver A.J. Brown’s future in Philadelphia.

The last time the Eagles took a wide receiver in the first round was in 2021 (DeVonta Smith). Nonetheless, whatever the Eagles decide to do over the next three days, we will have you covered at Total Sports Live.

As we have done over the last two years, our draft tracker will give you all the info you need from the Eagles’ first pick at No. 23 to their last pick at No. 197 in the sixth round. Additionally, we’ll have a tracker for Philadelphia’s UDFAs signings, which will start at the conclusion of the draft on Saturday evening.

Round 1, Pick 20 (via DAL): Makai Lemon, WR, USC

The Eagles were scheduled to make their first pick at No. 23 overall on Thursday night. However, they completed a trade with the Dallas Cowboys to move up three spots in the first round. Philadelphia paid a small price, giving up its two fourth-round picks (Nos. 114 and 137) to Dallas, while picking up a 2027 seventh-round pick.

But the Eagles felt that it was a move worth making as they took former USC WR Makai Lemon. The Eagles weren’t the only team interested in Lemon. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who had the No. 21  overall pick, were gearing up to take him, according to the NFL Network’s broadcast (h/t Jimmy Kempski of The Philly Voice), but Philly swooped in.

The last time Philadelphia completed a first-round trade with the Cowboys, it led to DeVonta Smith. Philadelphia hopes Lemon can make a similar impact to Smith’s time with the Eagles. In the meantime, this selection all but solidifies that A.J. Brown will be playing elsewhere in a matter of weeks.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Lemon was graded as the No. 1 slot in this year’s class by Emory Hunt of Football Gameplan. He can play both inside and outside, which works well with the current WRs that the Eagles have. The former USC star has great hands and will make tough catches in traffic. In fact, he had three drops in his three years with the Trojans.

Last season, Lemon showed everyone why he was the best wide receiver in college football, posting 79 receptions for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns. For his efforts, Lemon won the Fred Biletnikoff Award and was a consensus All-American. It should be fun to see how new Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion gets Lemon involved, as he has the skills to create explosive plays with yards after the catch.

Round 2, Pick 54: Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt

To kick off Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Eagles bolstered their tight end room by taking Eli Stowers. Stowers is coming off a stellar 2025 season at Vanderbilt, where he established himself as one of the best tight ends in the country.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Stowers posted 62 receptions for 769 yards and four touchdowns. For his efforts, he was named a consensus All-American and won the John Mackey Award.

Stowers is an immediate upgrade over Grant Calcaterra at TE2, who was re-signed earlier this offseason. And he’ll likely be the heir apparent to Dallas Goedert, who returned to the City of Brotherly Love for one more season. The former Vanderbilt star is a good athlete who can create explosive plays in the passing game with yards after the catch. He also has a 45.5-inch vertical jump, which he uses to his advantage to make tough catches.

That being said, he’ll need to improve in the blocking department, but his upside as a pass catcher is tremendous and should excite starting QB Jalen Hurts.

Round 3, Pick 68 (via NYJ): Markel Bell, OT, Miami

The Eagles addressed the trenches with their final pick on Day 2, taking former Miami Hurricanes offensive tackle Markel Bell. It is the second consecutive year that Philly drafted an offensive tackle.

The 6-foot-9 Bell was graded as the fourth-best offensive tackle in this year’s class by Emory Hunt of Football Gameplan. He has started in 21 games over the last two years at left tackle for the Hurricanes after beginning his collegiate career at the JUCO level.

Bell, who was given the nickname ‘The Human Skyscraper’, is good in pass pro as he can dominate his defender thanks to his pure size. This past season, Bell allowed no sacks in 558 pass-blocking snaps, earning him third-team All-ACC honors.

Bell’s functional strength should help him at the NFL level, too, especially in run blocking, where he can move and lean on defenders.

The former Hurricanes lineman doesn’t need to play right away, which is great, as he can take this year to develop. And not to mention, the Eagles already have Fred Johnson as their top swing tackle. But with Lane Johnson on the back nine of his playing career, he could become Philly’s future starting right tackle.

Round 5, Pick 178: Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State

The Eagles have found their developmental quarterback in North Dakota State’s Cole Payton. Payton hopes to fare better than Kyle McCord, whom the Eagles took in the sixth round last year, and failed to make the 53-man roster out of the preseason.

Payton is a left-handed dual-threat quarterback who throws a catchable ball and plus-one in the running game. This past season at North Dakota St., he completed 71.9 percent of his passes for 2,719 yards, 16 touchdowns, and four interceptions. Payton added 777 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.

That being said, he’s still quite raw as a QB, with one year of starting under his belt. Emory Hunt of Football Gameplan graded Payton as his 32nd-best QB in this draft year’s class. Here’s what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had to say about the former FCS signal caller in his scouting report:

Payton is a dual-threat, single-season FCS starter with good size. He’s a lefty with shoddy mechanics and subpar arm talent, but he still manages to deliver throws with touch to all three levels. He lacks drive velocity to dot throws into tight windows and might not have the timing needed to outfox pro zone defenders, though. He’s not shifty but excels when short yardage is needed and has build-up speed for explosive runs once he gets rolling. Payton projects as a QB3 and will require packaged plays to take advantage of his rushing ability until he proves himself a functional pocket passer.

With the Eagles already having Tanner McKee as QB2 and Andy Dalton as QB3, Payton seems to be a practice squad stash for the upcoming season. However, Payton has a path to becoming the Eagles’ QB2 behind Jalen Hurts in 2027, as Dalton and McKee are scheduled to become free agents.

Round 6, Pick 207 (via LAR): Micah Morris, OG, Georgia

The Eagles moved down 10 spots in the sixth round from No. 197, thanks to a trade with the Los Angeles Rams. At No. 207th overall, Philly went back to the trenches, taking offensive guard Micah Morris out of Georgia. This is the fourth time in the last five drafts that the Eagles have drafted a Georgia Bulldog.

Philly needs more offensive guard depth, as their current backups behind Landon Dickerson (left guard) and Tyler Steen (right guard) are projected to be Willie Lampkin and Hollin Pierce. Morris has outstanding functional strength, which helps him move defenders.

Check out Lance Zierlein’s scouting report on what else the former Bulldog offensive lineman brings to the table:

Morris has a rare blend of intelligence, power and movement talent, but the profile is a little too uneven. He plays with a sky-high pad level and outside hands. He’s very strong in his upper body and is relatively light on his feet as a move blocker. His broad frame can be tough to get around in protection, but his inconsistent base width could lead to leakage against athletic rushers. Playing at a lighter weight would make him quicker/more efficient and could be the key to making it in the league.

Over his last two years at Georgia, Morris has started in 19 games at both guard spots (5 at right, 14 at left). At this stage of the draft, teams are looking to add depth and hopefully find guys who can fill out the bottom of the roster or join the practice squad.

Round 7, Pick 244 (via MIN): Cole Wisniewski, S, Texas Tech

The Eagles finally addressed the safety spot in the seventh round, taking Cole Wisniewski. The 6-foot-3, 214-pound defensive back is coming off a solid 2025 season at Texas Tech after starting his collegiate career at North Dakota State. Emory Hunt of Football Gameplan had Wisniewski graded as the top strong safety in this year’s draft class, which is great value at this stage of the draft.

 

Wisniewski, a former linebacker converted to safety, had 78 combined tackles, six tackles for loss, six pass deflections, two forced fumbles, a sack, and a fumble recovery with the Red Raiders. While he’s not known for his coverage skills, the former Red Raiders safety has the footwork and technique to help him play back deep in a split safety look, as Hunt highlighted in his scouting report.

Marcus Epps is currently projected to be the starter opposite of Andrew Mukuba, with Michael Carter II as the backup. However, now the Eagles have another option in Wisniewski, who will have to contribute on special teams to make the 53-man roster.

Round 7, Pick 251 (via LAR): Uar Bernard, DT, Nigeria

The Eagles are taking a seventh-round flier on Bernard, who is part of the NFL’s International Pathway Program. This is the same program that produced left tackle Jordan Mailata, who has become one of the best at his position.

He hasn’t played organized football, but put on quite a show at this pro day in March with a 4.63 40-yard dash, 10’10” broad jump, and 31 reps on the bench press. His numbers are actually quite similar to those of Cleveland Browns superstar defensive end Myles Garrett.

Here’s more on Bernard from Lance Zierlein of NFL.com:

Bernard is a defensive line prospect from the same International Player Pathway program that produced Eagles OT Jordan Mailata. Bernard has not played organized football, but he displayed a rare blend of size, length and explosiveness at the IPP pro day in March. He could garner consideration as a defensive tackle, defensive end or even offensive tackle if he takes to the training. He will require work on every facet of his technique and fundamentals, so a team will need to be patient with a long-term plan for him. As one of the rarest of physical specimens I’ve seen in the sport, Bernard warrants a late-round selection. His ability to incorporate and execute upon the coaching he receives will determine his future in the sport. The odds might be against him earning snaps, but the exceptional traits will be hard for teams to ignore.

It’s unclear what Bernard’s football future holds, but he’ll get a chance to work with Vic Fangio and Clint Hurtt, which will only make him a better player as he learns the ropes of the pro game.

Round 7, Pick 252 (via LAR): Keyshawn James-Newby, EDGE, New Mexico

To wrap up their 2026 draft class, the Eagles took former New Mexico Lobos pass rusher Keyshawn James-Newby. The 6-foot-1, 240-pound defender spent the first two years of his collegiate career at D2 Montana Tech before transferring to Idaho (FCS), where he played for two seasons.

James-Newby was productive at both stops and continued his ascension in the Mountain West last season. He had 15 tackles for loss and nine sacks in 13 games, which led the Lobos and earned him first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors.

Here’s more on James-Newby’s game from Lance Zierlein of NFL.com:

From Montana Tech to Idaho to New Mexico, James-Newby has stayed hungry and productive at every stop. He’s undersized by NFL standards but plays much longer than he measures. He keeps his eyes on the prize instead of getting locked into long battles with the blocks in front of him. Power and length get the best of him, but not as often as I expected. He flashes good get-off, smart angles and efficient cornering that keeps him tight to the pocket as a rusher. James-Newby’s rush lacks diversity but a dangerous stab move is waiting to be unlocked. His high motor and disruptive ability should make him a solid sub-package edge rusher.

As a seventh-round pick, the former New Mexico pass rusher will not have an easy path to make the 53-man roster. However, James Newby’s production, athleticism, and motor could help him win a spot on the practice squad.