Charlie Campbell
Solid Starter
Makai Lemon, WR, USC – Round 1 
With A.J. Brown on his way out of Philadelphia, the Eagles sought a receiver in the first round to go with veteran DeVonta Smith and the newly acquired veterans Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown. Philadelphia addressed the need by trading up in the first round to land Lemon.
For the NFL, Lemon looks like a potential No. 2 starting receiver who also could work mostly out of the slot. Lemon is quick through his route with a burst out of his breaks to consistently create separation. Lemon is dangerous on double moves, as his route-running and suddenness allow him to get open downfield while challenging defenses vertically. Lemon has strong hands and is a natural hand catcher who is very reliable at securing the ball.
Lemon shows an uncanny ability to make leaping grabs and routinely makes highlight reel acrobatic receptions. With excellent body control, leaping ability, and secure hands, he makes some incredible catches to bail out inaccurate passes. While Lemon is not a big wideout, his ability to make leaping grabs makes him dangerous on 50-50 passes while also giving his quarterback a larger catch radius than most small receivers. With a gritty and competitive style, Lemon is a feisty player who provides energy to his team with his dangerous run after the ability. Lemon can weave through the defense and shows some strength to fight with tacklers.
Lemon has some limitations for the NFL that could keep him from becoming a true No. 1 receiver. He could have problems with longer cornerbacks, and getting off jams and reroutes could be an issue for him. As a pro, Lemon’s size might limit him to mainly being a slot receiver. Lemon may not have a defining trait to make him an elite receiver. He is not overly big or fast to dominate pro cornerbacks. Thus, Lemon could be more of a No. 2 or 3 receiver as a pro.
On top of Lemon’s limitations, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is not a prolific pocket passer, and Philadelphia features a ground-based offense. Hence, I could see Lemon turning into more of a solid starter rather than being a boom pick.
2025: Andrew Mukuba, S
2024: Quinyon Mitchell, CB
2023: Tyler Steen, G
2022: Nakobe Dean, LB
2021: Landon Dickerson, C
2020: Davion Taylor, LB
2019: Miles Sanders, RB
2018: Avonte Maddox, CB
2017: Derek Barnett, DE
2016: Isaac Seumalo, C
2015: Nelson Agholor, WR
2014: Marcus Smith, OLB
2013: Zach Ertz, TE
Most Likely To Bust
Markel Bell, OT, Miami – Round 3 
With Lane Johnson aging, there were a lot of projections of Philadelphia taking some offensive tackle youth to develop behind Johnson. There was a big run on tackles with five of them going ahead of the Eagles’ first-round pick. Philadelphia waited until the third round and landed some depth with Bell. Third-round picks are graded as players who are backups to start their career but develop into being starters. I think Bell could struggle with NFL speed rushers and end up falling short of that. I think he might top out as a swing tackle backup. Of their three early-round picks, I think Bell is the most likely to disappoint and fall short of his grade projection.
2025: None
2024: Jalyx Hunt, OLB
2023: Nolan Smith, DE
2022: None
2021: Milton Williams, DT
2020: Jalen Hurts, QB
2019: Shareef Miller, DE
2018: Josh Sweat, DE
2017: Rasul Douglas, CB
2016: Wendall Smallwood, RB
2015: Jordan Hicks, LB
2014: Josh Huff, WR
2013: Bennie Logan, DT
Potential Boom Pick
NONEI was not a big fan of the Eagles’ 2026 draft. I think they added some potential solid contributors, but I don’t see a player who has boom pick potential.
2025: Jihaad Campbell, LB
2024: Cooper DeJean, CB
2023: Jalen Carter, DT
2022: Jordan Davis, DT
2021: DeVonta Smith, WR
2020: Jalen Reagor, WR
2019: Andre Dillard, OT
2018: Dallas Goedert, TE
2017: Sidney Jones, CB
2016: Carson Wentz, QB
2015: Eric Rowe, CB
2014: Jordan Matthews, WR
2013: Lane Johnson, OT
Future Depth Player
Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt – Round 3 
The Eagles still have veteran Dallas Goedert, but adding a talented backup and understudy was a priority. In the second round, they snatched up Stowers and added themselves a receiving weapon. Stowers (6-3, 239) is a quick, athletic receiver who shows impressive run-after-the-catch skills. However, Stowers is very undersized, and I think he is going to struggle as a blocker against NFL edge defenders. To be a solid, dependable three-down starter as a tight end, he needs to be able to pass protect and block the C-gap. I think Stowers could struggle to become a consistent enough blocker to become a three-down starter. However, he could be a nice backup tight end to rotate into double-tight-end sets and serve as a receiving mismatch weapon. Thus, I think Stowers will be more of a rotational depth tight end than a true three-down starter in the NFL.
2025: Ty Robinson, DT
2024: Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB
2023: Tanner McKee, QB
2022: Grant Calcaterra, TE
2021: Kenny Gainwell, RB
2020: John Hightower, WR
2019: Clayton Thorson, QB
2018: Matt Pryor, OT
2017: Donnel Pumphrey, RB
2016: Alex McCalister, LB
2015: JaCorey Shepherd, CB
2014: Jaylen Watkins, CB
2013: Matt Barkley, QB
Walt