How much will Eagles draft picks play in 2026?

The Eagles drafted eight players this season. How much will they see the field as rookies?

By Dave Zangaro • Published May 6, 2026

The Eagles have been on quite a run in the NFL draft and they hope they did it again in 2026.

In recent seasons, the Eagles have been playing their rookies more and more. In 2025, first-round pick Jihaad Campbell and second-round pick Drew Mukuba both started a bunch of games but not many rookies after that saw much playing time.

We’ll see what happens with the eight-man rookie class of 2026. Let’s try to figure out roles for each of them:

Round 1-20: Makai Lemon, WR, USC

The Eagles traded up three spots from No. 23 to No. 20 — giving up a pair of fourth-round picks — to draft Lemon out of USC. If A.J. Brown does eventually get traded, then Lemon likely slots in as the Eagles’ WR2 behind DeVonta Smith and ahead of Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown. It is worth noting that over 75% of Lemon’s snaps in college came in the slot.

Lemon, 21, was named the Biletnikoff Award winner after a tremendous 2025 season at USC. He had 79 catches for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns. Lemon (5-11, 194) isn’t the biggest or fastest receiver; he might not have crazy measurables, but he was a star receiver in college and appears to be very NFL ready. There’s a good chance he’s going to step in from Day 1 and be a major contributor for the Eagles, who have a new offense under first-time OC Sean Mannion.

The last time the Birds selected a receiver in the first round was when they drafted Smith at No. 10 overall in the 2021 draft. And Smith had a strong rookie season with 64 catches for 916 yards and 5 touchdowns. The Eagles played him in that Week 18 game in 2021 and made sure he got the franchise rookie receiving record.

1. DeVonta Smith (2021): 916 yards
2. DeSean Jackson (2008): 912 yards
3. Jordan Matthews (2014): 872 yards
4. Keith Jackson (1988): 869 yards
5. Charle Young (1973): 854 yards
6. Jeremy Maclin (2009): 773 yards
7. Fred Barnett (1990): 721 yards
8. Don Looney (1940): 707 yards
9. Calvin Williams (1990): 602 yards
10. Reggie Brown (2005): 571 yards

It seems possible — likely even — that Lemon will find himself in that top 10 by the end of his rookie season. The real question becomes about whether or not he can make a run at the rookie record; that seems less likely. Back in 2021, Smith broke the record but he was the Eagles’ leading receiver that season before the Eagles added Brown during the 2022 draft.

Over the last five years there have been 25 receivers drafted in the first round. Those 25 have averaged 59.6 catches, 762.3 yards and 4.8 touchdowns as rookies.

Here’s the breakdown by draft slot:

Picks 1-10: (9 players) 77.7 catches, 1,021.3 yards, 6.3 touchdowns
Picks 11-20: (5 players) 40.8 catches, 597.6 yards, 3.8 touchdowns
Picks 21-32: (11 players) 53.5 catches, 631.0 yards, 4.1 touchdowns

(Jameson Williams, the No. 12 overall pick in 2022, had just 1 catch for 41 yards as a rookie, which is an outlier) 

If Lemon ends up having an above-average season, there’s a chance he could compete for the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award. The Eagles have never had a player win Offensive Player of the Year but three of the last five winners have been receivers. And Lemon has the sixth-shortest odds:

Jeremiyah Love: +250
Fernando Mendoza: +350
Carnell Tate: +500
Jordyn Tyson: +600
Jadarian Price: +750
Makai Lemon: +950
Carson Beck: +1500
Omar Cooper Jr.: +1800
Kenyon Sadiq: +1800

Round 2-54: Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt

The Eagles used their second round pick on another skill player, drafting pass-catching tight end Eli Stowers out of Vanderbilt. Stowers (6-4, 239) is a bit undersized and isn’t a complete tight end but he’s an excellent athlete and should have a role in the Eagles’ offense. But he doesn’t appear ready to block inline, which could limit his usage.

And, of course, the Eagles did bring back Dallas Goedert for the 2026 season on a one-year, $7 million deal. As long as Goedert is healthy, he’s going to be the Eagles’ TE1 and Stowers will slot in behind him. Goedert was able to stay healthy last season but missed plenty of games in the few years before.

Stowers, 23, will likely see the field in the Eagles’ 12 personnel package. While the Eagles were 12th in the NFL in 12 personnel (two tight ends) usage last season at 26.14%, the Packers were fifth at 33.76%. That’s notable because Eagles new OC Sean Mannion is coming from Green Bay.

Over the last five drafts, 11 tight ends have been selected in the second round. The most productive among them in their rookie seasons, by far, was Sam LaPorta, who had 889 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie in 2023.

Even with that outlier season, those 11 second-round tight ends averaged 29 catches, 292.2 yards and 2.7 touchdowns in their rookie seasons. So it’s probably wise to temper expectations for Stowers.

Round 3-68: Markel Bell, OT, Miami

If all goes to plan, we might not see Markel Bell play at all on offense in 2026. The Eagles bring back Jordan Mailata at left tackle and have Lane Johnson at right tackle for this upcoming season. On top of that, the Eagles also re-signed swing tackle Fred Johnson. So the plan could be for Bell (6-9, 346) to sit and develop during his rookie season.

There is a chance, however, that the Eagles make Johnson their backup at one tackle spot and Bell the backup at the other. In college, Bell only played left tackle in games but did apparently cross-train in practice. The Eagles should get him some reps at right tackle if there’s any chance he could be the long-term replacement for Lane Johnson.

But even without any injuries, there might still be some opportunities for Bell to dress on game days and perhaps get some snaps on special teams as a rookie. Last season, Fred Johnson played 70 total special teams snaps and has played 237 special teams snaps over the last three years. If Bell does get opportunities to dress out on game days, he’ll need to be able to contribute on special teams as well as provide value as a backup.

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

There’s a chance that Cole Payton could eventually be the No. 3 quarterback on the roster, but for now, he’s No. 4 behind Jalen Hurts, Tanner McKee and Andy Dalton. If the Eagles get a good offer for McKee or Dalton, it would make sense to move one of them before the season begins.

Normally, it would be easy to figure out the role of a fifth-round quarterback who is fourth on the depth chart: That guy just wouldn’t play. But there’s a bit more intrigue with Payton because of his dual-threat ability. The player he has been compared to a ton in the pre-draft process and since the Eagles selected him is Saints weapon Taysom Hill. There’s a thought that the Eagles could use Payton in some sort of specialized role this season.

"Yeah, we'll see. Yeah, we'll see. We'll see how that goes,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. "We're going to get him here, get him acclimated here and have a chance for that next weekend at rookie minicamp, learning the playbook and then we'll see where we go from there.”

Payton (6-3, 232) rushed for nearly 2,000 yards in his college career and was used in non-QB roles until he became a starter at NDSU in 2025. He even played some special teams before he became a starter, which would likely need to be a requirement if the Eagles ever elected to make him active on game days.

Hill went undrafted out of BYU in 2017. He initially joined the Packers but then found a home in New Orleans. As a rookie, Hill played in five games with the Saints. He played 71 special teams snaps that season but just one on offense. Of course, Hill ended up becoming a good weapon for the Saints and he could now be the model for Payton. This one is really tricky to figure out but my guess is if Payton does have a role this season it will be a minimal one.

Round 6-207: Micah Morris, OG, Georgia

Micah Morris, 22, didn’t start a game for the Bulldogs in his first three years in college but then started 19 in his last two years — 5 at right guard and 14 at left guard. Morris will have to prove himself this summer to earn a roster spot but if he does, he could be active on game days. 

The Eagles’ top interior backup offensive lineman last season, Brett Toth, left in free agency to join the 49ers. That leaves 2025 fifth-round pick Drew Kendall as the top backup on the inside. Kendall repped at center and guard last year but played center at Boston College before cross-training as a rookie. So there could actually be a path for Morris (6-5, 334) to see some playing time as a rookie if there are injuries. While right Tyler Steen was solid in 2025, left guard Landon Dickerson fought through injuries all season and even contemplated retirement in the offseason.

There’s a noticeable lack of depth on the interior of the Eagles’ offensive line beyond Kendall, so Morris might have a legitimate shot of finding a role as a backup in his rookie season.

Round 7-244: Cole Wisniewski, S, Texas Tech

There’s a lot to like about Wisniewski and Howie Roseman gave him a lofty comp. Roseman brought up Reed Blankenship after he drafted Wisniewski. Blankenship was a UDFA in 2022 who made the team, earned a role and eventually became a full-time starter before leaving this past offseason in free agency.

Perhaps Wisniewski will have that type of trajectory. If he does, it’ll start with earning a roster spot and a role on special teams. As a rookie, Blankenship eventually started four games but played special teams before that when he was active.

"I think special teams are one of the most important factors in games, especially now more than ever with the new kickoff rules,” Wisniewski said after getting drafted. "I’ve played on all four special teams, field goal block obviously as well. But it’s extremely important, especially now with how much the field can get flipped with the new kickoff rules. I think it’s going to be a huge part of this first year.”

It’s worth noting that safety might be the weakest spot on the entire roster right now. If the Eagles had to play a game tomorrow, their likely starters would be Drew Mukuba and Marcus Epps, while Michael Carter II would be the next man up. So it’s entirely possible that Wisniewski, with his 33 starts at NDSU and Texas Tech, could find himself in the mix for playing time.

Round 7-251: Uar Bernard, DT, Nigeria

There’s no doubt that Uar Bernard is a great story. Bernard (6-4, 306) is an absolute physical freak but has never played football. He’s a long-term project and it’ll be important to remember that he isn’t going to become a real NFL player overnight. The best-case scenario is that Bernard becomes the next Jordan Mailata. But it’s important to remember how long it took Mailata to become a real NFL player.

The Eagles drafted Mailata in the seventh round of the 2018 draft and he didn’t play in his first regular season game until 2020. He didn’t become a full-time starter until 2021.

Now, it’s probably true that learning defensive tackle from scratch is theoretically easier than learning how to play offensive tackle. And there’s no question that Bernard has freaky athleticism. But it’s still going to take a while and it’s very unlikely he will contribute at all in 2026.

Round 7-252: Keyshawn James-Newby, Edge, New Mexico

Before we start talking about a role for Keyshawn James-Newby, he’ll need to make the roster and that’s certainly not a guarantee. Last year, the Eagles drafted a different edge rusher in the seventh-round and Antwaun Powell-Ryland didn’t make the team out of camp, eventually ending up on the Bengals’ practice squad.

So it’s possible James-Newby never plays with the Eagles. But it’s unfair to simply expect the same fate as APR. James-Newby (6-2, 238) is an undersized rusher who began his college career at Montana Tech before going to Idaho and finally to New Mexico. He was productive in all three spots. James-Newby will have a chance to earn a roster spot in training camp but is clearly behind Jonathan Greenard, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt and Arnold Ebiketie. He’ll be battling with others for a roster spot and his ability on special teams will be worth monitoring.

https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/how-much-will-eagles-draft-picks-play-in-2026-makai-lemon-eli-stowers/731667/

Lemon has a chance to play a lot and make a real impact. If AJ goes then he’s going to be WR2 based on talent. But I’m not sure how much he can play on the outside? And so in the slot he’s going to be competing presumably with Hollywood and Moore? Both of whom offer more of a deep threat but aren’t as talented. Maybe we see him mixed in on the outside too?