PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles have three picks left in the 2026 NFL Draft, but the winners and losers from this year’s draft class have already emerged.
North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton (Round 5)
Here are our biggest winners and losers from the Eagles’ draft:
The Eagles plan to move on from All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown, and it may be challenging to build a good offense without him.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman made Mannion’s job easier by taking two pass catchers in the first two rounds. Lemon was considered one of the best wide receivers in the draft and could play multiple roles for Philadelphia’s offense next season. Stowers is one of the draft’s best athletes and could give the Eagles a matchup advantage.
Mannion will be tasked with turning around Philadelphia’s offense. The Eagles ranked 29th in passing offense in 2024 and 23rd in 2025.
Now, Mannion can put his own spin on the modern West Coast offense, and he’s been given enough weapons to build a creative, dynamic offense without Brown.
Smith is expected to break out in Mannion’s system as the No. 1 wide receiver. Mannion could use him in motion and expand his route tree to take advantage of his skill set. He could have a dominant year, surpassing his career highs of 95 catches, 1,196 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022. Lemon and Stowers could draw attention away from Smith, which would help him get easier matchups and put up bigger numbers.
The Eagles have surrounded Hurts with a talented supporting cast. He could take the next step as a passer in Mannion’s scheme.
The Eagles didn’t draft a safety. For now, Epps and Carter II have a legitimate shot at winning the starting safety job.
The addition of Vikings edge rusher Jonathan Greenard is bad news for Nolan Smith’s contract prospects with the Eagles. The Eagles gave Greenard a four-year, $150 million extension. At this point, it seems unlikely that the Eagles would give Greenard a massive contract and later give Smith a big deal of his own.
On the Eagles’ contract extension priority list, Smith ranks behind cornerbacks Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell and defensive tackle Jalen Carter, and could slip further if other young players continue to emerge.
Smith has played well in spurts. The Eagles must decide whether to exercise his fifth-year option by May 1; if they decline, he would become a free agent next offseason.
The Eagles drafted North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton in the fifth round. He’s now the third backup quarterback on Philadelphia’s roster.
Philadelphia probably won’t waive Payton unless he struggles this summer. Philadelphia would have to trade backup QB Tanner McKee or release third-string QB Andy Dalton to make room for Payton on the 53-man roster. The latter seems more likely. The Eagles traded for the 38-year-old Dalton this offseason, but they could easily get him back on the practice squad.
Brown could have started if the Eagles hadn’t drafted a receiver with a premium pick. Now, he will serve as the fourth wide receiver behind Smith, Lemon, and Dontayvion Wicks. The veteran free-agent addition could struggle to carve out a role in the passing game. With two talented tight ends (Dallas Goedert and Stowers) and a strong wide receiver trio (Smith, Lemon, and Wicks), he won’t see much playing time, and when he does, he will rarely get the ball.
Calcaterra offers no upside as a blocker. He is an average pass catcher who is basically a big wide receiver. His role will be replaced by Stowers, a super-athletic receiving tight end who struggles with blocking. Calcaterra could struggle to make the 53-man roster because the Eagles likely won’t keep two receiving-only tight ends.
Bell has become the team’s top developmental tackle. He will surpass Hinton and Williams, two sixth-round picks in 2025, on the depth chart and could knock one of them off the roster.
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