April 10, 2026
When the Philadelphia Eagles are picking late in the first round, as they usually are, it's difficult to pinpoint who they will select, mostly because it's hard to know who will even be available. Still, we'll lay out the top six players who we believe the Eagles could select based on positional need, positional priority, and traits preferences.
For this exercise, we'll also reference The Athletic's "consensus big board," which "combines rankings from a wide range of NFL Draft experts to identify how the top prospects are viewed relative to the rest of their class."
Freeling was a popular projection to the Eagles at pick 23 earlier this offseason, but there's little chance he'll make it that far after crushing the Combine.
In pass pro, Freeling has excellent feet, and can easily mirror/match opposing pass rushers. In the run game, he can execute difficult reach blocks, he's effective on combo blocks, and he has the athleticism to track down linebackers and defensive backs in space down the field. He also has some nastiness to his game, and experience playing LT and RT. I hadn't watched Freeling until his explosive Combine performance, but he is really good and the Eagles are certain to have interest.
The downside is that Freeling is inexperienced, as he has just 17 career starts. However, he improved significantly throughout the 2025 season and played his best football down the stretch. He has the highest upside of any offensive tackle prospect in this draft, in my opinion, and is an extremely logical eventual replacement for Lane Johnson.
In order to land Freeling, the Eagles would likely have to trade up, which as noted recently Howie Roseman has done seven times in the first round, typically with success.
Proctor is a mammoth offensive tackle, but he is also a pretty ridiculous athlete for a man his size. He came in at No. 2 on Bruce Feldman's "Freaks" list last summer.
Proctor has started at LT since 2023. He would be a great candidate to be an eventual Lane Johnson replacement at RT, assuming he could flip to that side of the line. He also could maybe be a replacement at guard for Landon Dickerson 🤷‍♂️, if Dickerson's body doesn't allow him to play into his 30's.
His size and athleticism traits remind me a bit of Mekhi Becton coming out of college. Becton's career at OT likely would have been more fruitful if he had been with a better organization from Day 1. But what Becton's career arc shows is that if all does not go well at tackle, guys with his size and ability can move inside and have something of a floor as a guard.
The Eagles love offensive linemen who have some kind of "wow" trait, and certainly Proctor has a lot of those, including size, athleticism, and projected versatility.
Tyson is a slippery route runner, particularly for a receiver with pretty good size. He is a contested catch beast, often skying above defensive backs, with impressive hangtime. He can also make plays after the catch, with creative moves to make defenders miss. He arguably has the most impressive highlight reel of any receiver in this class.
Tyson is pretty clearly a top-15 type of talent in this draft, and most draft experts have him rated as such. So how exactly could he fall to the Eagles at pick 23? Well, he has an alarming injury history:
• 2022: Torn ACL, MCL, and PCL.
• 2023: Only played 14 snaps on the season while recovering from his 2022 injury.
• 2024: Missed the College Football Playoff with a collarbone injury.
• 2025: Missed 3 games with a hamstring injury.
That makes Tyson a risky pick, but one that someone with the job security of Howie Roseman can feel comfortable making.
Ioane is a guard prospect who has experience at LG and RG, with some sparse snaps at LT, RT, and C. He plays under control with good technique, but will also bury defenders into the turf when the opportunity arises. He understands angles in the run game, and he's a brick wall in pass pro. He is a great player, and a top 10 type of prospect who in my opinion is being punished because he plays guard as opposed to offensive tackle.
The Eagles have an interesting situation at guard. Landon Dickerson is a good player when healthy, but he has a history of serious injuries dating back to high school and college, and his body has taken an absolute pounding in the last two seasons.
When we talk about the Eagles selecting an offensive lineman to eventually replace a great player already in place, it's always Lane Johnson, which makes sense, seeing as he'll turn 36 in May. But if you were to ask me which player is more likely to retire after the 2026 season, I might actually lean toward Dickerson.Â
Meanwhile, RG Tyler Steen was fine in his first season as a starter, but he is only under contract through 2026, and he's probably not above earning a starting job again in training camp, at least if the Eagles don't sign him to a contract extension before then.
Like Freeling above, the Eagles would probably have to trade up to land Ioane, but they have shown that they highly value the interior offensive line, having made Dickerson and Cam Jurgens among the league's highest paid players at their positions, just as they have in the recent past with Jason Kelce and Brandon Brooks.
Cooper had a productive season for the National Champion Hoosiers, making 69 catches for 937 yards (13.6 YPC) and 13 TDs. He also had three carries for 74 yards and a TD, and one of the catches of the year that helped preserve Indiana's perfect season. In 2024 he led the Big 10 with 21.2 yards per catch on 28 receptions.
Cooper is built a little bit like a running back, and he can break tackles after the catch. He's not a burner, but he does a nice job of tracking balls in the air on go routes and on back shoulder fades. He has secure hands, and versatility to line up outside or in the slot, and he competes his ass off as a blocker.
He would be an outstanding fit in the type of Shanahan/McVay scheme that most assume new OC Sean Mannion will be installing in Philly, and would complement DeVonta Smith nicely as a WR2, assuming the team has plans to trade A.J. Brown after June 1.
Miller has been a popular projection to the Eagles in mock drafts all offseason. He has been Clemson's starting RT since his freshman season, and he has also filled in at LT at times when Clemson has had injuries along their line. He's extremely experienced, with 54 career starts. He is also versatile, with ideal length and good athleticism.
However, because there is so much tape of Miller, there is really no mystery to what he is as a player, and in a way that works against him because the perception is that he'll have a limited ceiling, whereas a player like Freeling, for example, probably has a lot more room for improvement.
Miller feels like the "safety school" prospect for the Eagles this year, as a fallback option if some of the other more exciting players are long gone before the Eagles have a chance to snag them.
