Most Concerning Development From Eagles Minicamp: Where Are The Rookies?

The Philadelphia Eagles rookie class has a bright future ahead of them.

There's a long term plan at wide receiver, tight end, and offensive tackle -- three pieces of this offense that are expected to be contributors for this football team down the road.

What about 2026? That's where things get tricky.

The Eagles rookie class has essentially been nonexistent in mandatory minicamp, especially when evaluating the top three picks. While the practices have been in shells and shorts, the Eagles' rookies have not gotten off to a great start.

It's only June and there hasn't been a practice in pads yet. There's no reason to panic, but concerns could arise if the rookies struggle into the summer.

The practices will tell the story, but how the Eagles rookies have performed have raised some red flags.

The top-three picks

Evaluating the top three picks in this draft -- Makai Lemon, Eli Stowers, and Markel Bell -- was extremely difficult. There was little to evaluate.

Lemon was out for mandatory minicamp nursing a hamstring injury. He should be back by the start of training camp, but the battle for the WR2 job clearly went in favor of Dontayvion Wicks with Lemon's absence.

Lemon will get a reset in training camp, but the Eagles are counting on him to be an instant contributor in this offense. Sean Mannion's system is difficult to learn, and Lemon is already behind the 8-ball.

Eli Stowers is the TE3 at the moment, as Johnny Mundt is ahead of him on the depth chart. Stowers has been quiet for most of the open practices available to the media and hasn't grasped the offense yet. The Eagles are hoping Stowers can be like Lemon and an instant contributor, but that hasn't happened thus far.

Markel Bell took first team reps at right tackle when Lane Johnson was absent for the voluntary OTAs. With Johnson back, Fred Johnson was the No. 3 tackle -- and lined up with the second team at right tackle. Bell was at left tackle on the second team.

Bell is massive, and it shows when watching his film. He's viewed as a long term successor to Johnson, but the Eagles clearly value he can play both sides at tackle. Bell isn't the No. 3 tackle right now, and that's okay.

The rest of the draft picks

Cole Payton is supposed to be in the running for the QB3 role. Payton hasn't looked good through the spring, almost throwing multiple interceptions during the mandatory minicamp. None of the Eagles backup quarterbacks performed well, but Payton has a lot of work to do.

The Eagles did Micah Morris a favor by signing Michael Jordan to compete for the No. 3 guard spot. This takes the pressure off Morris to immediately contribute if Landon Dickerson or Tyler Steen go down, while Morris can concentrate at right guard since Jordan plays left guard. Signing a veteran guard benefits Morris.

Cole Wisniewski didn't participate in the team period during minicamp, but is still competing for a safety spot. Uar Bernard is learning the game of football, so this is a redshirt yer for him. Keyshawn James-Newby has little chance of making the roster with the depth at pass rusher.

The verdict

The 2026 rookie class is behind the 8-ball. This group needs Lemon and Stowers to contribute in 2026 with the loss of A.J. Brown, especially since Lemon is supposed to be a instant contributor in this offense.

Once the pads come on, we'll see how Lemon and Stowers perform. This rookie class has players set up to be part of the long-term outlook of this franchise, specifically Lemon, Stowers, Bell, morris, and Bernard.

Patience is a virtue. This rookie class will test that statement.

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