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Finding player comps for all 8 Eagles 2026 draft picks
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- Finding player comps for all 8 Eagles 2026 draft picks
Finding player comps for all 8 Eagles 2026 draft picks originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The draft is all about optimism, so I took a look around the internet through the rosiest colored glasses to find high-end comparisons for each member of the Eagles 2026 draft class.
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Round 1, Pick 20: Makai Lemon, WR, USC
Comparison:
Amon-Ra St. Brown
(
via Lance Zierlein at NFL.com
)
Two Trojans who dominate in the slot. St. Brown was a 4th-round pick coming out of USC due to his lack of straight-line speed, but he's blossomed into a perennial All-Pro. He relies on elite route running ability and toughness to take hits over the middle, something the Eagles' first-rounder put on full display in college. Lemon has better timed speed (4.50 compared to St. Brown's 4.65) which the Eagles hope will allow him to play outside the numbers as well. Lemon's also been referred to as "Baby Puca Nacua " because of his ability to make ridiculous contested catches. If he ends up producing like either of his two comps the Eagles will hardly miss A.J. Brown .
Round 2, Pick 54: Eli Stowers
, TE, Vanderbilt
Comparison:
Kyle Pitts
(
via Doug Orth at thehuddle.com
)
Stowers was the Mackey Award winner as the nation's top tight end last season. Pitts won the award in his final year at Florida in 2020. Both are uber-athletic pass catchers who might be tight ends in name only. Neither shows much in the blocking department, but they can do major damage in the passing game. Pitts, a Philly native, was the No. 4 pick by the Falcons back in 2021 and was named a second-team All-Pro last season. Stowers entered college as a highly rated quarterback recruit. After transferring and being beaten out by Heisman finalist Diego Pavia , he transitioned to tight end and flourished. That QB background caused Vanderbilt receivers coach and former Eagle Jordan Matthews to compare Stowers to Travis Kelce in a recent Inquirer article. However, I get some Darren Waller vibes. Stowers isn't quite as big but can play above the rim thanks to his 45.5 inch vertical. Waller was drafted as a receiver before converting to tight end (also in name only).
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Round 3, Pick 68: Markel Bell, OT, Miami
Comparison: Orlando Brown, Jr. ( via Todd McShay at The Ringer
)
Two absolutely massive tackles, neither of whom allowed a single sack in their final collegiate season. Bell, at 6-9, 346 pounds, is one inch taller and one pound heavier than Brown, whom the Eagles also had a lot of interest back in the 2018 draft. Brown ended up being selected in the third round (just like Bell) as the 83rd overall pick by the Ravens. He's made four Pro Bowls in his career and started at left tackle for the Super Bowl LVII champion Chiefs. He currently protects Joe Burrow 's blindside in Cincinnati . Howie Roseman covets rare traits and Bell has them.
Round 5, Pick 178: Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State
Comparison:
Taysom Hill
(
via anonymous scout to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero
)
Hill, who was undrafted out of BYU, has carved out a nice career as a Swiss Army Knife for the Saints offense. He's a wildcat runner, occasional passer, and even a tight end. Payton is a tick slower (4.56 seconds in the 40-yard dash compared to 4.46 for Hill), but a more explosive jumper (40 inch vertical to 38.5 inches for Hill). North Dakota State coaches needed a way to get him on the field early in his career and Payton paid it off with 13 touchdowns on the ground in 2023 for the Bison. Last year was his first season as a starter. He matched that TD total rushing and added 16 more through the air. Payton made plays on the ground for NDSU just like former Eagle Carson Wentz , but his left-handed throwing release is a little reminiscent of Tim Tebow . He could end up seeing some action this season if the Eagles opt to deploy him in special packages, but more likely he'll sit back and learn in a very crowed quarterback room.
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Round 6, Pick 207: Micah Morris, OG, Georgia
Comparison:
Carl Nicks
(
via Mock Draftable's Spider Charts
)
Both are massive, powerful men. Morris stands 6-5, 334 pounds, and did 29 bench press reps at the combine. Nicks was 6-5, 341 pounds, and put up 31 reps before being drafted in the 5th round in 2008 by the Saints. He was originally a tackle coming out of Nebraska but quickly moved inside and flourished. Nicks became a Pro Bowler and helped protect Drew Brees en route to a Super Bowl title. However, his career was cut short by injuries at age 29. It's interesting to note that the most comparable spider chart to Morris is actually Lions' star Penei Sewell , who has become one of the best tackles in the NFL, but the Nicks profile is a close match and makes a lot more sense.
Round 7, Pick 244: Cole Wisniewski, S, Texas Tech
Comparison:
Reed Blankenship
(
via Howie Roseman
)
Every Eagles fan also immediately made this connection, hoping Wisniewski can bring the same level of excitement to the secondary that Blankenship did. As Roseman noted, that would be an extremely high-end outcome. Wisniewski was a star at North Dakota State before transferring to be a part of Texas Tech's elite defense, which had six players drafted this year including four in the top 70 picks. A converted linebacker, Wisniewski is a downhill thumper who also picked off 8 passes in three years playing in the FCS. That ball production, however, did not carry over when he made the jump up in class, registering zero interceptions for the Red Raiders.
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Round 7, via 251: Uar Bernard, DT, Nigeria
Comparison:
Myles Garrett
(
via NFL Network's draft coverage
)
The loftiest of comparisons comes for the greenest of prospects. Imagine if Myles Garrett had never played a down of football. That's Bernard's story. He's a Nigerian native with 6 percent body fat at 306 pounds, who put on a show during a pre-draft workout and got himself selected. He's one of the most gifted specimens to ever enter the league. He came on the radar after taking part in the NFL's International Pathway Program, which also paved the way for the Eagles to draft Jordan Mailata back in 2018. The Birds molded Mailata's freakish physical gifts into a top-shelf blindside protector. They'll try to repeat the feat with Bernard, who will try his hand at defensive tackle.
Round 7-252: Keyshawn James-Newby, Edge, New Mexico Comparison: Yannick Ngakoue (via Mike Mulhern at NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com)
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I thought about just comping the Eagles last pick this year to their last pick in 2025, Antwaun Powell-Ryland. Both are undersized edge rushers with hyphenated names who produced at the college level. But since we're shooting for the stars, I chose a much more productive pro in Ngakoue, who entered the league at 6-foot-2, 247 pounds, seven pounds heavier than James-Newby. Ngakoue made one Pro Bowl in his 9-year career, racking up 70.5 career sacks while playing for 8 different teams. For now, James-Newby is just hoping to make the roster, something Powell-Ryland failed to do a season ago.
