April 25, 2026
The Philadelphia Eagles have made three selections in the 2026 NFL draft, landing USC WR Makai Lemon in Round 1, Vanderbilt TE Eli Stowers in Round 2, and Miami OT Markel Bell in Round 3. Here are 15 players who make sense for the Birds in Round 5, where they hold the 178th overall pick.
• Jalon Kilgore, S, South Carolina: Kilgore is a big safety at 6'1, 210 with nearly 33" arms who ran a 4.40 40 at the Combine. He certainly looks the part of an NFL safety. Kilgore is also capable of making plays, as he had 7 INTs his last two seasons.
• Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU: Prior to the 2025 season, Nussmeier was being projected as a first-round pick, but he had a disappointing season, throwing for just 12 TD passes in nine games. He played through a rare (and painful) oblique injury that took a long time to diagnose. Nussmeier is a savvy quarterback who gets through his progressions quickly. He also has a quick, accurate delivery, and can make throws on the move. On the downside, Nussmeier doesn't possess impressive size or speed, so he could have a limited ceiling.
• Brian Parker, OL, Duke: Parker played LT and RT (mostly RT) at Duke, but he was a center in high school and projects to the interior at the pro level. The Eagles love them some versatile Day 3 offensive linemen.
• Zakee Wheatley, S, Penn State: Wheatley is considered a smart player and a good leader on and off the field, but he ran a 4.62 and he's 24 years old.
• Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas: Green is a monster 6'6, 235-pound quarterback, with a strong arm and the ability to make plays with his legs. But, he needs a lot of refinement, notably with his accuracy and his slow delivery. Green makes sense as a quarterback with intriguing traits who can develop behind the scenes.
• Nick Singleton, RB, Penn State: Singleton had an up-and-down college career. 6.8 yards per carry as a freshman, 4.4 as a sophomore, 6.4 as a junior, and 4.5 as a senior. He's a bigger back at around 220 pounds with good vision and straight line speed, but without much wiggle.
• Harold Perkins, LB/EDGE, LSU: Perkins is a linebacker / edge defender tweener in the same mold as Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell. He had had a monster season as a freshman in 2022, when he had 72 tackles, 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and an INT. In 2023, he had 75 tackles, 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and an INT. In 2024, he suffered an ACL tear and only played in four games. In 2025, he had four sacks and three INTs. Perkins is a versatile defender who can drop into coverage and rush the passer from all sorts of alignments. The Eagles don't really need another off-ball linebacker / edge defender hybrid, but they do seem to have developed "a type," and Perkins fits that mold.
• Anez Cooper, OG, Miami: Cooper was Canes' starting RG, and he is a massive human at 6'6, 342. He also has decent athleticism for a man his size, and if he gets a chance to bury a defender in the run game, he's got some nasty in him.
• Riley Nowakowski, TE/FB, Indiana: One of the unsung players on Indiana's National Championship roster was Nowakowski, an undersized tight end/fullback who has a whole bunch of of highlight reel blocks. The Eagles have a role for a fullback/blocking TE in their offense, and Nowakowski also chipped in 32 catches for 387 yards and 2 TDs in the Hoosiers' stacked offense.
• Robert Spears-Jennings, S, Oklahoma: Spears-Jennings was considered a late-round prospect, but his stock is up after running a blistering 4.32 40 at 6'2, 205 pounds. Spears-Jennings has some blitzing ability, and he has a knack for punching the ball out, as he had 4 forced fumbles in 2024. The knocks on Spears-Jennings are that he struggles in man coverage and lacks awareness as a deep safety. So, you know, those are significant issues.
• Bishop Fitzgerald, S, USC: Fitzgerald had 5 INTs in 2025, and 10 INTs for his career. He's instinctive against the pass and the run.
• Deion Burks, WR, Oklahoma: Burks ran 4.30 40, and he is a hell of an athlete otherwise. Unfortunately, Burks didn't have great production in college. His most productive season was with Purdue in 2023, when he had 47 catches for 629 yards and 7 TDs. But Round 5 is typically right around where the Eagles like to take small, fast, unproductive receivers. (See: Quez Watkins, John Hightower, Shelton Gibson, Ainias Smith, etc.)
• Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State: Payton is a one-year starter, and against lower level competition. But, he's 6'3, 232, and he runs a 4.56. Developmental guy. If you're the Eagles, maybe you figure out how to redshirt him, or maybe he just makes the team over Andy Dalton if he shows anything special in camp?
• Hezekiah Masses, CB, California: Masses transferred from FIU in 2025, and he had an incredible start to his senior season at Cal, with 4 INTs (plus an additional pick-six that was called back due to a penalty), and 7 pass breakups in his first 5 games. He cooled off a bit as the season progressed, finishing with 5 INTs and 13 PBUs. But clearly he gets his hands on a lot of passes.
• Landon Robinson, iDL, Navy: Navy upset then-18th-ranked Army in 2024, with one of the biggest plays of the game being made by Robinson, the nose tackle, on a long run on a fake punt, lol. In 2025, Robinson has 64 tackles and 6.5 sacks while mostly playing NT. Robinson will be an undersized iDL in the pros, at 5'11, 293. He certainly won't play nose tackle at under 300 pounds. But he could find a role with someone in the NFL somewhere on the interior of the D-line.
• Uar Bernard, ??, Nigeria: Bernard, from a small village in Nigeria, recently worked out at the HBCU showcase. Here's what The Athletic's Bruce Feldman reported about him: "Bernard measured in earlier this week at the NFL’s HBCU showcase at 6-4 1/2, 306 pounds with 11-inch hands and almost 36-inch arms. Other people who have spent their lifetimes in football say Bernard looks like a Marvel creation. Bernard’s body fat: 6 percent. He vertical-jumped 39 inches and broad-jumped 10-10, which was 14 inches more than any other defensive tackle did at this year’s combine. His 40-yard dash: 4.63." The Eagles took a flier on a freak athlete from Australia who had never played American football, and that worked out. As for what position Bernard will play, he worked out with defensive tackles. But, if he truly has 11" hands and 36" arms, offensive tackle wouldn't be out the question either, even if he's under 6'5.
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