May 02, 2026
Jimmy/for PhillyVoice
Eagles WR Makai Lemon, the team's first-round pick, participates in a drill at rookie camp practice.
The Philadelphia Eagles conducted a rookie camp on Friday. Media were allowed to watch the first 20 or so minutes of it before they kicked us out, but I have some notes from the day nevertheless.
Let's start with drafted rookie numbers:
• WR Makai Lemon, 9: The number 9 hasn't been worn since Nick Foles last wore it. Lemon said that he talked to Foles, who passed the number down to him. Lemon didn’t necessarily want the number 9 specifically; he just wanted the lowest number possible. I would say that generally speaking, I like 9 for a wide receiver, but on Lemon's smaller frame — combined with the Eagles' terrible jersey number font — it looks like an 8.
• TE Eli Stowers, 87: Classic tight end number, good fit.
• OT Markel Bell, 72: Again, classic offensive tackle number. I did wonder if Demetress Bell wore 72 when he played for the Eagles. Remember him? Fear not. He was 77.
• QB Cole Payton, 10: For now, Payton is sharing 10 with Braden Mann. My guess is that he'll move to 11 after A.J. Brown is traded.
• OG Micah Morris, 76: Again, another classic offensive guard number.
• S Cole Wisniewski, 21: Wow, what a score for a late seventh-round rookie. Huge for Wisniewski's brand! Of course, 21 was last worn by Sydney Brown, who was traded to the Falcons this offseason. I'm surprised one of the vets already on the team didn't jump all over that number.
• iDL Uar Bernard, 93: Milton Williams made 93 cool, and it's a good fit for the ultra-athletic Bernard.
• EDGE Keyshawn James-Newby, 50: Meh. 50 is more of a classic off-ball linebacker number. KJN wore 1 at New Mexico.
You're welcome for this important analysis.
We also spoke with seven of the eight rookie draft picks. Quick notes from each guy:
• WR Makai Lemon: Lemon attended a Sixers game with DeVonta Smith, and rang the bell. As you've seen, Smith speaks softly but is a killer on the field. Lemon was known in college for his intense energy on the field, but like Smith he, too, speaks softly off of it. Lemon said they have matching vibes in that respect.
• TE Eli Stowers: Stowers was asked about his ability as a blocker, which was widely noted on scouting reports as an underdeveloped part of his game. Of course, Stowers originally played quarterback in college, but moved to tight end.
"I think that moving from quarterback and getting into blocking is just new. It's really new, because quarterbacks are never asked to block. It's something that's new and you just have to learn the technique. That wasn't necessarily a hurdle, but just the thing that you have to learn the most. You really have to get your technique down, and a lot of it is reps so you get the muscle memory.
"The other side of it is just the will to want to block, and I have that and I want to be the best blocker that I can be. And from that point it's just learning my techniques and really practicing it."
There is precedent for quarterbacks who changed positions to become good blockers. Hines Ward, for example, was a quarterback at Georgia before switching to receiver, and he was one of the best blocking receivers in the NFL. Stowers certainly has the athleticism to block. To be determined if he has the "will" part that he described.
• OT Markel Bell: Bell played almost exclusively at LT during his career at Miami, however, he said that offensive line coach Alex Mirabel trained him at LT and RT in practice throughout his career, and that he’s ready to go at either spot. Certainly, game experience at RT would be more ideal, but it’s not like this will be an Andre Dillard situation, where Dillard knew full well he wouldn’t be good at RT, and to nobody’s surprise, he wasn’t.
• QB Cole Payton: Payton is currently the QB4, so he has very little chance of getting on the field as a quarterback as a rookie. He’s also a 230+ pound guy and a good runner. And so, he was asked if he had ever thought about being used in a non-quarterback role while he develops as a quarterback.
"If that’s what the team wants, if that’s what team needs, I’m all for it,” he said. Payton added that he did play in games at NDSU at running back, tight end, and on special teams.
• OG Micah Morris: Morris mentioned David DeCastro and Quentin Nelson as players whose tape he watched and has tried to emulate. I thought DeCastro was an interesting name to drop. He grew up in Washington and played at Stanford before a very good nine-year career with the Steelers, from 2012 to 2020.
Morris is 22, and he grew up in Georgia, which means that if he was watching DeCastro while DeCastro was still playing, he was doing so in his mid-teens, and he was watching a player with seemingly no local ties.
I’m guessing a coach put DeCastro’s tape in front of Morris at some point, but I do think it’s evidence that he’s a student of the game, which is a checkmark in his favor. There are times when a player will be asked who they modeled their game after, and they either don’t have an answer or they just pander to the audience by naming some guys on the team that just drafted them. I like that Morris had a semi-obscure answer.
• S Cole Wisniewski: Wisniewski thinks he’ll fit in well in Vic Fangio’s scheme.
“He’s one of the godfathers of the two-high and shell system, and I’ve played in the shell system for my entire college career…
"Looking forward to the next level, I thought ‘Vic Fangio’s system would be a really good system for me'… and so being able to come to the source is awesome."
• iDL Uar Bernard: (Not made available.)
• EDGE Keyshawn James-Newby: James-Newby was asked what it was like growing up in a small town in Montana. With a flawless deadpan delivery he responded, “You know, you ride horses to school,” before pausing briefly, smiling and continuing, “No I’m just kidding. You don’t ride horses to school.”
• The Eagles announced they signed eight undrafted rookie free agents.
We've signed the following 2026 undrafted free agents. pic.twitter.com/0lhssaXpwC
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) May 1, 2026
In case you missed our analysis of those guys, you can find that here.
I thought it would be cool to hear from Joshua Weru, an International Pathway Player from Kenya who worked out with Uar Bernard prior to the draft. Weru plays rugby for the Kenyan national team. I asked if we could speak with Weru in addition to the Eagles' eight drafted players, but the Eagles said no. 🤷♂️
• Luke Akers, son of former Eagles kicker David Akers, was a kicker and punter for UCLA and Northwestern. He got a tryout at punter, and wore the number 2. On a side note, the Eagles had Jimmy fave Kai Kroeger in for a tryout last year, and he wound up being the Saints' punter all season in 2025.
• The only Eagles players already on the team who participated in the rookie minicamp were OG Hollin Pierce (UDFA in 2025) and iDL Gabe Hall (UDFA in 2024). Hall made the initial 53-man roster after a strong 2025 camp, but did not stick on the roster for very long.
• The Eagles had a pair of recognizable running backs at Eagles rookie camp in Elijah Mitchell and Khalil Herbert.
Mitchell had a few good seasons as a backup with the 49ers before a hamstring injury derailed his career. Herbert played four seasons with the Bears from 2021 to 2024, and has bounced around with four other teams since.
• Next up on the NFL calendar (as it pertains to the Eagles)... the schedule release.
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