The Philadelphia Eagles were again up to some of their old tricks, and this time, it came in the 2026 NFL Draft. General manager Howie Roseman continues to be one of the more clever executives in all of sports, making fun draft selections and also adding impact players via trade in the process.
Philly's class does have 'Roseman' written all over it, so no Eagles fan should be surprised about the group that the team ended up with, but every single GM in the NFL makes mistakes in the draft, Roseman included.
In fact, will the Eagles come to regret not selecting these three prospects in this year's class?
The Philadelphia Eagles may come to regret not drafting these three players
Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
The secondary has been an iffy group for Philly in recent years, despite the defense largely being solid as a whole. Without Vic Fangio running the show, the defense would be much worse off. However, it would have been nice to see the safety position get addressed a bit earlier in the draft.
With Reed Blankenship departing in free agency for the Houston Texans, there is still a clear void on the backend of the defense. Dillon Thieneman went a few picks after Philly's Makai Lemon selection, heading to the Chicago Bears.
But the do-it-all safety would have fit like a glove on this defense. Not only was Thieneman insanely productive in college, but, like another prospect on this list, he does a bit of everything at the position, potentially being able to excel as a run stopper and as a coverage player.
Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama
I am kind of building these selections on top of one another. With Philly taking Lemon in Round 1, they would have had no need for Germie Bernard, but this would have been a rock-solid pick for the team. Bernard is a fun player and would have been an ideal option for the Eagles. He's someone who can line up in the slot or outside, has solid size in both roles, and, honestly, does a bit of everything well.
Taking Lemon was a great selection, as he projects to be an above-average player in the slot, but as a 'total package,' Bernard stands out more.
No matter if the Eagles had taken Lemon or Bernard, it's clear that an AJ Brown trade is going to happen at some point, but a Thieneman-Bernard combo would have likely addressed more needs for the Eagles than their actual Lemon-Stowers haul.
Sam Roush, TE, Stanford
With the 68th pick, the one right before Sam Roush went off the board, the Eagles took Markel Bell, the massive tackle prospect from Miami. It's clear that Philly wanted Bell as a developmental prospect to perhaps take over for Lane Johnson at some point.
And while bolstering the trenches is never a bad idea, Philly could have killed two birds with one stone by taking Sam Roush, one of the more underrated tight end prospects in the draft. A stellar blocker, Roush is immediately someone who can be a "Y" tight end option - someone who can line up in-line and function as an extra offensive lineman.
This would have made a ton of sense, as Dallas Goedert has been this type of player for a while, but the Eagles obviously preferred Stowers. Roush also has some untapped potential as a receiving threat, so had the team taken Roush, they would have had a potential two-phase player at the position for the long term.
Read more: Howie Roseman says the quiet part most GMs won't say (but Eagles fans know)
With Stowers, Philly is getting more of a one-dimensional player. Given that the Eagles' roster is rather strong, Philly could have absolutely taken a more needs-based approach and landed a haul like this.
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