D+
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles let Clark fall and pounced. Final grade: D+.
by [email protected] ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 36 picks
· 36 steals
· 0 reaches
Every so often the board makes a mistake, and the Eagles were there to profit. Bud Clark, the No. 103 name on the board, should have been long gone before Round 7, Pick 39. A D+ that will need time and luck to look better.
The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. It is a bet on later, and a defensible one for a team playing the long game.
They went 9 of 9 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for. They trusted the board more than the depth chart.
The verdict is not kind, and fairly so; this class has a hill to climb.
Pick-by-Pick
Somehow David Bailey was still sitting there in slot 24, and they pounced on premier edge rusher value. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They will replay Spencer Fano at the 54th overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. The roster fit checks out.
Fernando Mendoza at pick 68 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Steal is underselling it; Jordyn Tyson at the 98th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Kenyon Sadiq at No. 114 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It fills a real need, too.
The board fumbled Mansoor Delane all the way to the Round 4 slot, and they scooped it up. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Carnell Tate at Round 5, Pick 13 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They robbed the room for Jermod McCoy here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Kayden McDonald in pick No. 155 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Sonny Styles in the Round 5 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A minor itch, scratched.
Cashius Howell in slot 157 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
You do not let an edge rusher like Akheem Mesidor reach the 158th overall pick and blink. They did not. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A cornerback of that caliber at the 159th pick is the definition of value, full stop. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A top-tier cornerback at a bargain, D'Angelo Ponds in No. 160, plain and simple. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Taking Gabe Jacas in Round 5, Pick 21 is close to grand larceny; an edge rusher that good had no business lasting this long. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Circle this one: Eli Stowers at pick 162 is a fall that decides a draft. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They barely believed it either: Michael Taaffe still on the board at the 164th pick. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jake Slaughter in pick 166 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A cornerback of that caliber at pick No. 173 is the definition of value, full stop. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Taking Derrick Moore in Round 5, Pick 34 is close to grand larceny; an edge rusher that good had no business lasting this long. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Germie Bernard in No. 178 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They will replay Lee Hunter at the 181st overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Somehow Romello Height was still sitting there in the Round 6 slot, and they pounced on premier edge rusher value. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Chase Bisontis in slot 197 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Jonah Coleman at the Round 6 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Steal is underselling it; Logan Jones at slot 201 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
You do not let a wide receiver like Antonio Williams reach the 205th overall pick and blink. They did not. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Brenen Thompson at the 213th pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board fumbled Genesis Smith all the way to pick 214, and they scooped it up. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Connor Lew at No. 216 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Circle this one: Deontae Lawson at Round 7, Pick 6 is a fall that decides a draft. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
They barely believed it either: Ja'Kobi Lane still on the board at pick No. 229. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A top-tier edge rusher at a bargain, Tyreak Sapp in pick 236, plain and simple. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They robbed the room for J.C. Davis here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
You do not let a running back like Kaytron Allen reach No. 254 and blink. They did not. It fills a real need, too.
Somehow Bud Clark was still sitting there in the Round 7 slot, and they pounced on premier safety value. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.