2026 NFL Draft Crushes
We’re currently in my favorite part of the NFL offseason. The weather is getting warmer and the draft is quickly approaching. Outside during the weekend of the draft, the soundtrack of nature featuring the iconic background vocals of boisterous birds and the buzzing harmonics of bees flying by will be broadcasted to the happy-go-lucky people of world as they soak up the Saturday sun. Inside, I’ll be sitting lazily on my couch for the third straight day, imbued with disappointment as the Eagles snub the selection of one of my draft crushes in favor of picking a lineman with potential.
These draft crushes are either players that I watched perform masterfully for one single game, likely the top performance of their college career, or just distinctly-named guys with one decent quality to latch my belief onto as I learn about their identity within a month or so of the draft. Either way, I’d be ecstatic if the Eagles took any of these guys with their Day 2 or Day 3 picks.
Now, without further ado, it’s time to get hurt again and watch the following players I’ve become infatuated with over the last few months get drafted my team’s rivals!
Draft Crushes:
QB – Sawyer Robertson (Baylor):
As a fanner of Tanner (McKee), I don’t want to see him get traded for anything less than a Day 2 pick. I admit that he had a poor game in Week 18, but his play was affected by a cast of second and third stringers around him. If they do decide to trade him just for a Day 3 pick this year or next year, Robertson, who over the last seasons was productive and the most exciting part about Baylor’s football team, makes sense as a replacement that won’t cost a valuable pick. With Dalton on the team, he can develop for a year in the league before becoming the #2 of the future.
RB – Emmett Johnson (Nebraska):
While running back isn’t a huge need for the Birds, if the front office and coaches aren’t high on Will Shipley, Johnson makes sense as a capable replacement that was effective as an offensive weapon in Lincoln despite subpar play from his offensive line.
WR – Zachariah Branch (Georgia):
His lack of size would not fill a potential A.J. Brown hole, but his speed and athleticism will make up for a height deficiency by helping him create gaps between defenders in coverage. If the Eagles are interested in moving on from an oft-injured Britain Covey, Branch makes sense as a punt returner replacement to avoid a scenario where Cooper DeJean gets injured on special teams.
TE – Joe Royer (Cincinnati):
A former Day 3 Bearcat tight end has worked out well for the Eagles before! However, even though they went to the same school, Royer’s playstyle is closer to that of Dallas Goedert than Brent Celek.
OL – Gennings Dunker (Iowa):
He’d probably be a Day 1 pick if prospects were picked by hair. Even at 6’5’’, he likely won’t cut it as a tackle in the NFL, but the Eagles have benefitted from oversized athletic guards in the past. Drafting an interior offensive lineman of the future would make sense with the writing already on the wall for Landon Dickerson to retire after 2026 or 2027. Plus, even though they went to “rival” Big Ten schools, I think Dunker will quickly become the best friend of jerky salesman and fellow Midwesterner Cam Jurgens.
Courtesy of Step Guards (2008)
DT – Dontay Corleone (Cincinnati):
Corleone’s injury history and dearth of sack production in college will likely cause him to fall to Day 3. Despite those concerns, I think he has what it takes to follow in the footsteps of Milton Williams and Moro Ojomo and become the next great Eagles interior pass rusher who gets paid by a different team after his rookie contract concludes. Not to mention, his cinematic last name would pair well with Eagles Chief Security Advisor, and proud Italian-American, Big Dom.
Absolute Cinema!
Edge – Dani Dennis-Sutton (Penn State):
I won’t deny that I’m biased on this selection as an alumnus of PSU, but unlike other prospects from Happy Valley, Dani is another one of the athletic freaks that have patrolled the Nittany Lions’ edge over the past decade. I think the Delaware native will benefit from holding being called at a slightly higher rate in the NFL than the Big Ten. If his motor stays motivated, he’ll be a perennial Pro Bowler.
LB – Jimmy Rolder (Michigan)
Linebacker is another position that won’t be high on the Eagles’ list, but with the loss of Nakobe Dean to free agency, the Eagles may look to replenish their depth in the middle rounds. It may take a couple of years, but I think Rolder ends up being one of those players who’s annually near the top of the tackle leaderboard even though his play won’t jump off the screen. I imagine future post-game reviews of the box score will regularly include fans questioning, “Wait, Rolder had ten tackles today?”
DB – Tacario Davis (Washington):
The Eagles signed Riq Woolen this past offseason to be their new CB 2. However, the deal was only for one year. If Woolen has a productive 2026, the Eagles would be unlikely to have the cap room needed to re-sign him given that extensions for other young and more valuable defensive players will need to be offered or start to be paid out. Standing at 6’4’’, Davis’s height and strength to press receivers would make him an ideal future replacement for the also lengthy Woolen.
K – Drew Stevens (Iowa):
Will the Eagles draft a kicker given the fact that the current kicker, Jake Elliot, recently had his contract reworked to guarantee $5 million in 2026? No. If they trade down at some point and acquire a late 7th round pick, should they draft a kicker? Sure, why not? Over the past two regular seasons, Elliot’s play has gone from anguishing to inexcusably frustrating. The 9-year vet has some of the greatest kicks in Eagles history, but it’s past time that he has competition in training camp. Stevens is not a beacon of consistency, but unlike Jake Elliot over the past two seasons, he converted over half of his 50+ yard field goal attempts. Furthermore, Stevens kicked in outdoor Big Ten stadiums. After September, a kick’s trajectory becomes unpredictable as fierce gusts of 30+ MPH regularly occupy the Midwestern stands, so his 2025 stats of 11/14 on field goals over the final two months of the season is fairly impressive.