Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft is in the books, and the Philadelphia Eagles landed USC WR Makai Lemon. Here are 15 players who make sense for the Birds in Round 2, where they hold the 54th overall pick, or the 22nd pick of the second round.
• Emmanuel McNeil Warren, S, Toledo: McNeil-Warren is a productive safety who has the following numbers since 2023 in 35 games: 207 tackles, 5 INTs (one pick-six), 9 forced fumbles. He has good size, he can play the run, he’s a big hitter, and he has some range patrolling the deep part of the field.
• T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson: As a freshman in 2023, Parker had 32 tackles (13 for loss) and 5.5 sacks. He had a monster season in 2024, collecting 57 tackles (20 for loss), with 11 sacks and 6 forced fumbles. He was considered a top 10 type of prospect heading into 2025, but he had a down year (37 tackles, 5 sacks). Personally, I think it’d be nuts for him to drop into Round 2, but if he did, I can imagine the Eagles making a Cooper DeJean-like trade up.
• Zion Young, EDGE, Missouri: Young is a power rusher with a non-stop motor who plays with an edge. 42 tackles (16.5 for loss), 6.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles in 2025.
• R Mason Thomas, EDGE, Oklahoma: Thomas is an undersized pass rusher, and his game is all about speed. He has an explosive first step at the snap, he can bend the edge, and then he can convert speed to power when he gets offensive tackles on their heels. He had 15.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles the last two seasons, in 23 games.
• Chase Bisontis, OG, Texas A&M: Bisontis was originally a RT who moved to LG. He is athletic brawler with a mean streak. He is a clear Landon Dickerson or Tyler Steen replacement candidate.
• Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State: Dennis-Sutton was a five-star recruit (28th nationally by 247 Sports, 7th by Rivals.com) who is an exceptional run defender, but overshadowed as a pass rusher by former teammate Abdul Carter. He did have 17 sacks and 5 forced fumbles over his final two seasons at Penn State, and he had a surprisingly great Combine workout.
• D’Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana: Ponds might be my favorite player in this class. He is a small corner, at 5’9, 180, but he’s feisty and very fast with a track background. He is also extremely competitive, and tough. In the run game he can fearlessly take on an offensive lineman who outweighs him by 150 pounds on one play, and then on the next play make a spectacular INT. Awesome player, but does not currently fit an Eagles need.
• Treydan Stukes, S, Arizona: Stukes is a long and lean (6’1, 190) safety prospect who ran a 4.33 40 at the Combine. Stukes is an older prospect, as he played six seasons at Arizona. He did have a productive 2025 season, making 52 tackles, with 4 INTs.
• Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M: Howell spent his first three seasons at Bowling Green, where he had 9.5 sacks in 2023. He transferred to Texas A&M, where the starting edge rushers were 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart and second-round pick Nic Scourton. Howell was too good to keep off the field, so he played something of a hybrid LB/EDGE role in 2024. That season, he had 40 tackles (8.5 for loss), an INT, and 7 pass breakups. In 2025, with Stewart and Scourton off to the NFL, Howell had 11.5 sacks. Howell is undersized and he isn’t an elite athlete, but he has an impressive repertoire of pass rush moves and can win one-on-one matchups. He’s just a good football player.
• Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee: Colton Hood is the nephew of former Eagles CB Roderick Hood. He originally enrolled at Auburn, where his uncle went, before transferring to Colorado, and then again to Tennessee. Sticky and confident, but only 3 career INTs.
• Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt: Stowers was a high school quarterback who moved to tight end in college. He originally enrolled at Texas A&M, transferred to New Mexico, and then to Vanderbilt. 49-638-5 in 2024, 62-769-4 in 2025. Vanderbilt lined up Stowers all over the place, trying to create mismatches against slower linebackers and smaller defensive backs. Once he has the ball in his hands, Stowers has exhibited some serious YAC ability, and he broke records at the Combine. The downside is that he is probably more of a big receiver at this point. He will have to become a better blocker to become a more well-rounded tight end in the NFL, but his athletic traits and receiving ability make him a likely Day 2 guy, at worst.
• Keionte Scott, CB/S, Miami: Scott played in the slot for Miami, and he’s a fun player to watch. He’s fast (4.33 40), physical, and instinctive. The Eagles don’t really need a slot corner, but I wonder if they might view Scott as a safety prospect.
• Max Klare, TE, Ohio State: Klare is a good receiving tight end who had 51 catches for 685 yards and four TDs for Purdue in 2024 before transferring to Ohio State. In 2025, he had 42 catches for 448 yards and just 2 TDs in 2025 in a loaded OSU offense. Klare needs work as a blocker, but he has great hands and he runs good routes. He reminds me in some ways of Zach Ertz, even down to the 86 jersey.
• Michael Trigg, TE, Baylor: Trigg is a playmaker who had 50 catches for 694 receiving yards (13.9 YPC), and six TDs. He finished third in the nation among tight ends in receiving yards. He has good athleticism and outstanding hands. Trigg is 6’4, 240, so he is a smaller tight end, but he has a large catch radius because of his massive wingspan. He also fights for every yard after the catch and is a surprisingly good route runner. Trigg has a similar skill set as first-round prospect Kenyon Sadiq, but isn’t as good a blocker.
• Caleb Tiernan, OT, Northwestern: Tiernan has great size at 6’8, 323, and he is powerful, as you would expect, but he also has good athleticism. Tiernan has some versatility, having played both at RT and LT at Northwestern. He’ll also be battle tested heading into the pros, as he faced a lot of players in 2025 who will be earning NFL paychecks.
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