NFC East NFL Draft Preview, Part 2: What the Eagles and Commanders Need Most in the 2026 NFL Draft

The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders are not trying to fix broken rosters. They are trying to make sure strong ones stay that way.

That puts more pressure on getting this draft right than it might seem.

Philadelphia Eagles: This Draft Is About Keeping the Roster From Slipping

The Eagles are still drafting like a contender, but this is the point where contenders can start making expensive mistakes. The top of the roster is still strong enough to win. The question is whether the next layer stays strong enough to support it.

You can see where the pressure points are forming. A.J. Brown’s future keeps coming up for a reason. Tight end Dallas Goedert is back, but not in a way that feels permanent. Edge rusher still needs more juice. Safety is unsettled. The offensive line is still a strength, but succession planning never stops in Philadelphia, especially with older and more expensive core pieces all over the roster.

That is why the draft board makes so much sense here. At No. 23, Keldric Faulk (edge, Auburn) would be the kind of value pick general manager Howie Roseman usually jumps on if he gets the chance. Caleb Lomu (offensive tackle, Utah) fits the longer-term tackle pipeline. Kenyon Sadiq (tight end, Oregon) would give them a real answer to the inevitable questions about life after Goedert. Akheem Mesidor (edge, Miami) and Cashius Howell (edge, Texas A&M) also fit if the priority is keeping the pass rush pipeline stocked.

A trade back would open even more of the board. Max Iheanachor (offensive tackle, Arizona State) and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (safety, Toledo) make more sense in that type of scenario. Day 2 also looks like a sweet spot for Eli Stowers (tight end, Vanderbilt), Max Klare (tight end, Ohio State), Derrick Moore (edge, Michigan), or Zakee Wheatley (safety, Penn State). Those are the types of players who would not need to carry the draft, but could help keep the roster from thinning out in spots that quietly become important by November.

The Brown situation hangs over all of this. If something actually happens after June 1, wide receiver becomes a different conversation. Until then, this looks much more like a reload than a shake-up.

Philadelphia does not need fireworks here. Another useful draft, another couple of contributors, and another year of keeping the machine stocked would do plenty.

Washington Commanders: This Draft Should Be About Adding One Real Difference-Maker

Washington already handled a lot of the basic roster repair in free agency. The Commanders got younger, faster, and deeper in several places, especially on defense. That gives them a much cleaner runway into the draft than they had a year ago.

The question now is simpler. Who is the player at No. 7 who changes something?

The nice part for Washington is it does not look boxed into one obvious need. General manager Adam Peters has said as much, and the roster backs him up. The Commanders can go offense or defense without it feeling forced, which is exactly where a team wants to be with a top-10 pick.

Jeremiyah Love (running back, Notre Dame) is the cleanest offensive answer if he gets there. Washington still needs another playmaker defenses actually fear alongside Terry McLaurin, and Love would change the shape of the offense immediately as both a runner and receiver. He also fits the more balanced direction this offense appears to be taking under David Blough.

There are strong defensive cases too. Sonny Styles (linebacker, Ohio State) would give them a true every-down weapon in the middle of the defense. David Bailey (edge, Texas Tech) would bring the kind of explosiveness this front still lacks. Caleb Downs (safety, Ohio State), Rueben Bain Jr. (edge, Miami), Mansoor Delane (cornerback, LSU), Carnell Tate (wide receiver, Ohio State), and Makai Lemon (wide receiver, USC) all fit depending on how the board breaks.

That is what makes Washington interesting here. This does not have to be a patch job. It should be a pick that raises the ceiling. Maybe that is Love giving quarterback Jayden Daniels another problem-solver on offense. Maybe it is Styles giving the defense more speed and range. Maybe it is Bailey finally giving them the kind of edge threat they have been missing.

Whatever direction they go, the pick should feel like it changes the way opponents prepare for them.