C+
Philadelphia Eagles
Flashes of a plan, unevenly run, for the Eagles: C+.
by babyatemydingo ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 5 steals
· 2 reaches
If confidence were a draft strategy, the Eagles would have aced it. Patrick Payton at pick No. 178 is 69 spots clear of where he belonged.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped interior defensive lineman, which is a strange place to end up. The Stowers pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch.
Not a disaster, not a triumph, just a middling class.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 30 they get a sideline-to-sideline linebacker, and a steal at that. More want than need.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Omar Cooper Jr. at the 43rd overall pick is the proof. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Eli Stowers is a better player than Round 3, Pick 4 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Treydan Stukes at the Round 3 slot is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Genesis Smith in No. 114. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
No edge and no loss on J.C. Davis in pick No. 137; it is a wash and a sensible one. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They paid up for Nate Boerkircher at the Round 5 slot when waiting would have done the job. The roster fit checks out.
They reached into another round for Patrick Payton, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jeff Caldwell slid further than he should have, and Round 6, Pick 16 is lovely value for the wide receiver. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.