Eagles May Amp Up Draft Interest In WRs For Several Reasons

PHILADELPHIA - It feels like the Eagles will be getting back into the pass-catching business no matter what happens with A.J. Brown.

Obviously, if the Eagles do have to move off of their three-time, second-team All-Pro WR1, the position vaults to the top of what projects to be a lengthier-than-usual “need list” for Philadelphia this spring.

Even if the organization and Brown reach detente, however, and Brown is a part of what’s expected to be a more modern approach in the passing game under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, the Eagles will likely want to get back into the WR game in the 2026 NFL Draft.

WR3 Jahan Dotson is expected to search for a situation with more opportunities in free agency, and Mannion’s approach is expected to lean closer to the Shanahan/McVay trees, where 11 personnel is foundational.

That sentiment should be couched by pointing out that great coaches take advantage of what they have at a given moment while pursuing their DNA beliefs on the personnel end.

The best evidence of that is Shanahan leaning on running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle with few dynamic receivers at his disposal last season, and McVay morphing to a ton of 13 personnel after understanding how deep he was there.

For the Eagles, WR should not only be on the radar for personnel reasons, but also realizing it’s time to turn the page to a more cost-controlled approach on offense, something GM Howie Roseman intimated was coming at his season-ending press conference.

No Deeper Position?

Jan 19, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (3) against the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The final piece of the puzzle is how the college game is played these days. There is no better position to find an immediate contributor outside the first round than WR.

Consider the Day 2 receivers in last year’s draft: Houston’s Jayden Higgins at No. 34, Chicago’s Luther Burden at No. 39, the LA Chargers’ Tre Harris at 55, Las Vegas’ Jack Bech at 58, New England’s Kyle Williams at 69, Detroit’s Isaac TeSlaa at 70, Denver’s Pat Bryant at 74, the Texans’ Jaylin Noel at 79, and Green Bay’s Savion Williams at No. 87.

This year, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has 17 receivers in his early rankings of the top 100 players in the draft.

The Eagles used picks in the first or second rounds on receivers from 2018 until 2022 when things settled after the selection of DeVonta Smith with the and the subsequent trade for Brown the next season.

Expect Roseman to be back in that pre-DeVonta/A.J. mindset with a pass catcher this year.

Perhaps the top target would be Texas A&M's KC Concepcion, the kind of manufacted-touch and yards-after-catch threat that would be somehwat new to the offense.

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