Where The Eagles' 2026 Draft Class Stands After Spring Work

PHILADELPHIA - Spring football is most important for the younger players in any organization, especially rookies.

With OTAs and mandatory minicamp officially in the rearview mirror for the Eagles, it’s fair to say the 2026 draft class is off to a slow start with injuries playing a significant role in that assessment.

All three of the Eagles’ premium picks had some kind of tweak and missed at least some time over the spring.

Through Phases 2 and 3 of OTAs, Nick Sirianni and the coaching staff had 16 on-field sessions with the players. The more important parts of that – the Phase 3 voluntary OTAs (six practice sessions) and mandatory minicamp (two practices) – was half of that total.

Of those eight practices, Eagles On SI and other reporters watched four, so understand it’s always an incomplete picture.

First-round pick Makai Lemon suffered a hamstring injury that wiped out most of Phase 3 for the wide receiver, who is expected to have a major role in the offense as either the WR2 or WR3 from Day 1.

Eagles On SI was told that holding Lemon out was just a precaution, and he spent every practice diligently watching and taking mental reps next to position coach Aaron Moorehead.

With Lemon sitting and WR1 Devonta Smith missing Day 2 of minicamp for personal reasons, there were plenty of first-team reps for trade pickup Dontayvion Wicks as well as the second-tier WRs like Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore and even Johnny Wilson.

Lemon should be a full go at the start of training camp, although hamstrings can always linger and/or aggravate among those susceptible to them, so it’s something to keep an eye on this summer.

Second-round tight end Eli Stowers got off to a slow start and missed team drills on Day 2 of minicamp while wearing a sleeve on his right leg.

A work in progress in the blocking aspect of the position, the wildly athletic Stowers didn’t stand out in the reps he did get, and more well-rounded reserves like E.J. Jenkins and Cam Latu were the better performers behind veterans Dallas Goedert and Johnny Mundt.

Latu’s ability to toggle between fullback and in-line TE could prove to be valuable in Sean Mannion’s wide-zone rushing attack.

A Positive Sign

Third-round offensive tackle Markell Bell, who missed Day 2 of minicamp, got some valuable first-team reps during the voluntary portion, while future Hall of Famer Lane Johnson checked in via Zoom for meetings. When Johnson arrived for minicamp, Bell was positioned as the second-team left tackle behind Jordan Mailata, with Fred Johnson handling RT duties.

It’s tough to evaluate O-Linemen with no pads, but the fact Chris Kuper got the cross-training started early with Bell is a positive indication that he could potentially push Fred Johnson for the game-day swing tackle role.

Fifth-round rookie quarterback Cole Payton got limited reps as the fourth quarterback behind Jalen Hurts, Andy Dalton, and Tanner McKee, and struggled over the final two days.

If that continues in the summer for Payton, the Eagles should be able to get him through to the practice squad as a developmental player.

The top backups at guard behind Landon Dickerson and Tyler Steen were Drew Kendall and Myles Hinton – two second-year players out of their habitats. Kendall is a natural center and Hinton a natural tackle.

Sixth-round Georgia product Micah Morris got a few second-team reps when Kendall missed team drills but spent most of his time with the third group.

The signing of veteran Michael Jordan, who has 45 career NFL starts, after minicamp indicated that GM Howie Roseman believed the floor had to be raised among the interior depth options. However, I am told that the Eagles are high on Kendall as an interior backup who could eventually handle all three positions.

The Eagles had three seventh-round picks: safety Cole Wisniewski, who missed the spring with an unknown injury but was around each day watching, developmental defensive tackle Uar Bernard, and edge rusher Keyshawn James-Newby.

At safety, Cooper DeJean will be next to Drew Mukuba when the Eagles are in their “base defense,” with Marcus Epps rotating in when DeJean moves to the slot in nickel.

Michael Carter could push Epps in training camp after a solid spring, but the door is still open for Wisniewski especially is the rookie stands out on special teams.

The Eagles plan on working with Bernard for multiple years to tap into his prodigious physical gifts, while KJN, who spent the spring on the third-string defense, is probably earmarked for the PS, especially after the Eagles signed veteran edge rusher A.J. Epenesa after the conclusion of minicamp.

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