The Eagles tend to fortify positions before a desperate situation develops. Freeling could be two-time first-team All-Pro OT Lane Johnson's eventual successor.

This pick came down to value for the Eagles. The slick sleuths discovered behind the scenes that they'd have their choice between Sadiq or an unnamed offensive lineman. (There will be other mocks!) GM Howie Roseman stayed at 23 after working the phones and landed the best player at his position. The Eagles don't have a primary tight end under contract for the 2026 season and arguably should have drafted one last year. Sadiq, at 6-3, 245, enhances the passing game as a potential mismatch and fits a new offense that is expected to feature the play-action game. The Eagles pick a tight end on Day 1 for the first time since drafting Keith Jackson at No. 13 in 1988. Jackson earned All-Pro honors in his first three seasons.

If Avieon Terrell -- the younger brother of former first-round pick A.J. Terrell -- were two inches taller, he'd probably be my top CB in this class. Alas, he is not, and it causes me to question what his ultimate ceiling will be as an NFL corner. That said, I still have him going in the first round. He's pretty good.

As draft week kicked off, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that A.J. Brown would very likely be in a Patriots uniform for 2026, though any trade would come after June 1, which means $43 million in dead cap money could be split between years. We've heard the Brown trade rumors for months, but this firmed things up a bit. So it was no surprise when Philadelphia moved up three spots to No. 20 to stop Makai Lemon's mini slide. If you have any doubt a trade-up was needed to get him, look no further than the video circulating of Lemon on the phone with the Steelers, who had intended to take him at No. 21 before they learned the Eagles had jumped the line.

Lemon (No. 11 on my board) is a tough, physical receiver despite his 5-11, 192-pound frame. He snags the ball on the run and turns upfield through traffic without fear, helping him to 1,156 yards in the 2025 season. He will match well with DeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown.

Eli Stowers is another playmaker for the Sean Mannion offense, and he can be Dallas Goedert's future replacement. Goedert is back, but he's 31 years old and on a one-year deal. Next up, offensive tackle support with Markel Bell. Remember, general manager Howie Roseman likes to draft for future needs. There's no guarantee that Stowers takes over for Goedert or Bell develops enough to take one of the tackle spots when 35-year-old Lane Johnson retires, but putting resources into those positions on Day 2 is good work by the Eagles front office. Bell is still developing, but he did a good job manning left tackle at Miami. Philly went down the board for him, but the top OTs were gone.

Cole Payton probably won't beat out Tanner McKee or Andy Dalton for QB2 behind Jalen Hurts, but he ran for 777 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. I think Mannion could use him in some packages. Payton runs a 4.56 at 232 pounds, so I'm envisioning some sort of Taysom Hill role in Philadelphia. As a passer, he's very accurate despite a long delivery. The rest of the Day 3 bunch is filled with dart throws: Micah Morris is athletic, Uar Bernard has some intriguing physical traits, and Keyshawn James-Newby was unstoppable at the end of last season (4.5 sacks over the final five games).

To cap it off, remember that the Eagles made a draft-weekend trade for Jonathan Greenard. They sent a pair of third-rounders (one in 2027) to Minnesota for Greenard and a seventh-rounder (used on Cole Wisniewski). Greenard had just three sacks last season after hitting at least 12 in the previous two years, but he's an instant starter for Vic Fangio.

They jumped the Steelers for slot receiver extraordinaire Makai Lemon 20th overall. Second-round TE Eli Stowers projects as quite a weapon, even if he's ultimately a plus-sized receiver. Mammoth fourth-round OT Markel Bell might inherit RT Lane Johnson's job one day − soon. And leave it to EVP/GM Howie Roseman to also acquire a Pro Bowl pass rusher (Jonathan Greenard) at the cost of two third-rounders. WR A.J. Brown is almost certainly soon be a goner, while presumably fetching prized 2027 draft assets, but Philly seems pretty well positioned to evolve effectively without him.