Tackle Talk

Posted March 26th, 2026

Les Bowen has covered Philly sports for a long time. He’s so old that he even pre-dates Brandon Graham coming to Philly and that’s really saying something. One of Les’s best attributes is that he can be one hell of a devil’s advocate. Les has been arguing with some fans on Twitter about the Eagles getting a good offensive tackle at pick 23.

Les is thinking the Eagles should be aggressive to get a top tackle and not just sit at 23 and see who drops there. He’s concerned the guys who would last to that point might not be adequate replacements for the great Lane Johnson. Let’s talk about this.

First, I like the OT class quite a bit. There will be a run on them in the first round, but I think the Eagles will have good options make it to pick 23. Here are some thoughts on the first round OTs.

Monroe Freeling – 6-7, 315 – Georgia – If you asked me which player had any chance of developing into a Lane Johnson type of player, Freeling is the guy. He is big, highly athletic and has a nasty streak. He has really good feet. The thing he’s missing is experience. He only started one season at UGA, playing LT. His potential is through the roof and that’s the reason I think he’ll go well before 23. If Howie is trading up for a tackle, this is the guy who could be worth it.

Francis Mauigoa – 6-6, 329 – Miami – 3-year starter at RT for the Hurricanes. Good pass protector. Has strong hands and quick feet. Even better as a run blocker. A bully who likes to put defenders on the ground. Will be a Top 10 pick. Could kick inside if a team prefers him at guard.

Spencer Fano – 6-6, 311 – Utah – 3-year starter, the first at LT and the last two at RT. Athletic OT who ran 4.91 at the Combine and has good feet. Also a good run blocker and physical player. Doesn’t have the longest arms (32 7/8) and some think he could be even better at guard than tackle. Daniel Jeremiah has him going 9th overall in his latest mock draft.

Caleb Lomu – 6-6, 313 – Utah – 2-year starter at LT. Good athlete and you can really see that in the run game. Does a good job of blocking on the move and getting to the second level. Also a good pass blocker. You can see his good feet on game tape and his Combine workout. Could go in the 15-25 range. I tend to think he’ll go before 23 because of his experience as a LT, which is such a critical position and it is so hard to find those guys.

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Here are the three OTs I think have the best chance of making it to pick 23.

Kadyn Proctor – 6-7, 352 – Alabama – The thinking last summer was that Proctor would have a great year and be a Top 10 pick. Didn’t happen. He was overweight and was inconsistent during the season. Proctor got in good shape for the Combine and had an excellent workout. Men his size shouldn’t move the way he did. He has good footwork for such a big guy. Proctor played LT for the Tide. The Eagles would move him to RT and have him learn behind Lane. Proctor could also help at OG if needed. He’s got the strength and power to play inside. He’s got tremendous potential and is the kind of prospect Howie loves to go after. I could see a small move up to get him.

Blake Miller – 6-7, 317 – Clemson – Daniel Jeremiah says that Ozzie Newsome used to tell his scouts you can’t go wrong hitting doubles. If you go for the home run, you may strike out (as Phillies fans well know). If you hit the double, you’re more likely to have a higher average. Proctor is a home run type. Miller is a double. He doesn’t have the potential to turn into a special player, but Miller has started 54 games in college. He has size, strength, footwork and good skills. This is a guy you could plug in at RT this season and he can play well for you.

Max Iheanachor – 6-6, 321 – Arizona State – Miller is the polished player, Iheanachor is the project. He grew up in Nigeria and doesn’t have a lot of football experience. That didn’t seem to limit Jordan Mailata, of course. Iheanachor did start for 2.5 years at RT for the Sun Devils. He played his best football in 2025 and earned a trip to the Senior Bowl. Iheanachor opened some eyes with his performance in Mobile.

He had a strong workouut at the Combine, running 4.91 and showing good footwork as you can see above. This is a big man who can really move. He has a real nasty streak. I think he is probably the guy who makes the most sense at 23. He can sit behind Lane and work on whatever issues the coaching staff thinks he needs to iron out. Iheanachor could kick inside to guard if there are injuries and he’s needed there.

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It is possible that all seven OT prospects are gone by pick 23. The Eagles are doing their homework on players who will be available on Day 2 in case of a worst case scenario. I feel strongly that the Eagles will be able to target one of the players above at 23. It isn’t likely that all of them are gone.

The real question is if Howie and the Eagles covet one of the prospects. If so, do they try to move up for that player. I think the cost for Freeling will be too high. Proctor could be the guy that they decide to go get at a reasonable cost.

The goal here is to find the RT of the future. Lane Johnson can’t play forever. I do think we need to be careful when talking about replacing Lane. He is the best RT that I’ve seen in the NFL. He will be a Hall of Fame player. You aren’t likely to replace him with anyone close to that level. But you also don’t need to. Seattle just won the SB with Abraham Lucas at RT, a former third round pick. He’s never even been a Pro Bowl selection. The Chiefs had the struggling Jawaan Taylor at RT for their SB win in 2023.

The Eagles need to find someone that can be a good starter. If the player develops into a star, that’s even better.

https://igglesblitz.com/2026/03/tackle-talk/

F ... this was supposed to post in 411 with the other articles I just posted.

@Moderator6 if you can please move this that would be tremendous.

In the past, Howie used to go after players that were clones of the players we needed to replace. That didn't work out well. When Lane retires, obviously we'll need someone to play RT. We need to find a RT, not another Lane Johnson.