Eagles-only mock draft: Filling big needs in the trenches

In our latest Eagles-only mock draft, the Eagles restock their offensive and defensive lines.

By Dave Zangaro • Published March 24, 2026

The biggest wave of NFL free agency has passed so now it’s time to start looking ahead toward the draft.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman will have nine picks to work with in this year’s draft, including four in the top 100.

Here’s an Eagles-only mock draft with some intriguing options:

1-23: Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State

It’s no secret that it’s time for the Eagles to rebuild their offensive line for the future and to find an eventual replacement for Lane Johnson. Even though Johnson is playing this season, there are plenty of good reasons to draft his replacement early so he can learn behind a future Hall of Famer just like the Eagles did with Cam Jurgens and Jason Kelce.

Max Iheanachor (6-6, 321) is a fascinating prospect. Iheanachor came to the United States from Nigeria as a 13-year-old and was a late-comer to football after previously playing basketball and soccer, so he’s still considered to be a raw prospect. But he has incredible athletic tools and was a two-year starter at right tackle for the Sun Devils.

At the Senior Bowl earlier this offseason, Iheanachor was considered one of the standout players of the practice week. Here’s what NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah wrote about Iheanachor after the week: "The thing that stood out to me, though, was the continued growth I saw from him over the course of the week. He took to the coaching he received here and adjusted, taking a leap on the second day of practice.”

Since the Senior Bowl, Iheanachor went to the NFL Combine and aced it. Some might think the No. 23 pick is too early for him, but he’s been a rapid-riser in the pre-draft process and by the time the draft finally arrives, this probably won’t feel like a reach.

2-54: Malachi Lawrence, Edge, UCF

Malachi Lawrence (6-4, 253) has a nice combination of production and athleticism/upside as he enters this draft. Over his last three seasons at UCF, Lawrence had 19 1/2 sacks, 27 1/2 TFLs and 3 FFs. He was a first-team All-Big 12 player in 2025.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein’s comp for Lawrence: Josh Sweat.

Lawrence had a strong showing at the East-West Shrine Bowl and then continued his momentum at the NFL Combine, showing off impressive athleticism.

3-68: Max Klare, TE, Ohio State

The Eagles got Dallas Goedert back for the 2026 season but it’s clearly time for them to start thinking about his eventual replacement. The top tight end in this year’s class is Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq but this is a deep group of tight ends this year. Max Klare (6-4, 246) transferred to Ohio State from Purdue for the 2025 season and had 43 catches for 448 yards and 2 touchdowns in a high-powered offense that didn’t run through him.

Like many tight ends coming out of college, Klare is more refined as a pass-catcher than a blocker. But he appears willing and can grow in that area.

3-98: Keylan Rutledge, OG, Georgia Tech

It’s obvious the Eagles want to replenish on their offensive line and there’s a lot to like about Keylan Rutledge (6-4, 316), who began his college career at Middle Tennessee before transferring to Georgia Tech. Rutledge has experience as a guard and also repped as a center at the Senior Bowl. Rutledge plays the game with some nastiness and isn’t afraid to finish his blocks downfield. He also tested very well and looked good at the combine in field drills. He posted a very high RAS score.

Rutledge could be a plug-and-play guard as a rookie but could also offer depth as a future long-term starter. Players like that aren’t always available late in the third round.

4-114: DeMonte Capehart, DT, Clemson

Because Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods is expected to be a first-round pick in April, his college teammate DeMonte Capehart (6-5, 313) has been flying a little bit under the radar. Maybe he shouldn’t be.

Capehart is a bit of an older prospect who will turn 24 in July but that didn’t stop the Eagles from taking Ty Robinson in the fourth round last year. Capehart is a bigger nose tackle with limited sack production at Clemson. But he has been a heck of a run-stuffer and is an impressive athlete who might have pass rush upside.

4-137: Cyrus Allen, WR, Cincinnati

It was surprising that Cyrus Allen (5-11, 180) was not invited to the combine earlier this offseason. That was one of the more egregious snubs. Allen began his career at Louisiana Tech, then spent one season at Texas A&M and finished his career at Cincinnati in 2025.

Last season, he had 51 catches for 674 yards and 13 touchdowns. He then went to the Senior Bowl and was a clear standout.

Allen is a bit undersized and played in the slot last season. He consistently showed an ability to get open and did that again in Mobile. He probably would have shown something at the combine too had he been invited.

5-153: Ephesians Prysock, CB, Washington

The Eagles are always looking for cornerbacks and here’s a way to add one with a high ceiling on Day 3. Ephesian Prysock (6-3, 196) began his career at Arizona and played his final two years at Washington. In his 26 games with the Huskies, Prysock had just 1 interception but broke up 13 passes and had 93 tackles. The lack of ball production for a cornerback with his size is a concern. But for a long cornerback, he seems to move very well. He ran a 4.45 at the combine.

And he went to the Senior Bowl and turned some heads:

5-178: VJ Payne, S, Kansas State

This may be longer than most Eagles fans expect the team to wait before drafting a safety. But VJ Payne (6-3, 206) has a ton of experience with 42 games played at Kansas State. He had 4 career interceptions, 13 pass breakups and 10 1/2 tackles for loss. Payne is a big physical safety with athleticism.

6-197: Mark Gronowski, QB, Iowa

The Eagles are always looking for quarterbacks and this one has a connection to new OC Sean Mannion. This offseason, Mannion was the OC for the West team in the East-West Shrine Bowl. His star quarterback and MVP of the Shrine Bowl? Mark Gronowski.

Not only did Gronowski impress all week but then he had this block in the actual game. Great competitiveness, don’t do it again.

Gronowski (602, 234) began his career at South Dakota State before transferring to Iowa for the 2025 season. Last year at Iowa, Gronowski completed 63.4% of his passes for 1,741 yards with 10 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/eagles-only-mock-draft-filling-big-needs-in-the-trenches-max-iheanachor/722030/

I would nut if day 2 resulted in that haul. A little leery of Iheanachor at 23. Perhaps with a trade down into the 2nd then sure or some other prospects that I think potentially may be better and less risky at 23 (e.g. Blake Miller, Monroe Freeling, etc.).

On 3/24/2026 at 10:43 AM, time2rock said:

I would nut if day 2 resulted in that haul. A little leery of Iheanachor at 23. Perhaps with a trade down into the 2nd then sure or some other prospects that I think potentially may be better and less risky at 23 (e.g. Blake Miller, Monroe Freeling, etc.).

Replace Iheanchor with maybe Blake Miller and I'd be good with this draft. I originally wanted Freeling...but now after the Combine he's regularly projected to go way before pick 23. Of course, draft analysts are routinely just as wrong as they are right.

38 minutes ago, EaglesAddict said:

Replace Iheanchor with maybe Blake Miller and I'd be good with this draft. I originally wanted Freeling...but now after the Combine he's regularly projected to go way before pick 23. Of course, draft analysts are routinely just as wrong as they are right.

I was commenting specifically on day 2 only (Lawrence, Klare, Rutledge). But definitely agreed with replacing Iheanachor with Miller (I actually mentioned that in the post in which you quoted me ).

16 minutes ago, time2rock said:

I was commenting specifically on day 2 only (Lawrence, Klare, Rutledge). But definitely agreed with replacing Iheanachor with Miller (I actually mentioned that in the post in which you quoted me ).

Right...was just conversing off of your post

12 minutes ago, EaglesAddict said:

Right...was just conversing off of your post

Iheanachor intrigues me for sure ... he could very well turn out to be a great OT. But I just think he is too risky a pick. We really need to continue with the trend of recent draft success. Miller seems like a safer pick (higher floor but possibly lower ceiling).