Eagles Mailbag: Would they draft a quarterback on Day 2?

Another Eagles mailbag is here! Thanks to our loyal BGN readers for shooting some questions my way over in The Feed. I also had mailbags published on Tuesday and Thursday this week, so be sure to give those a read as well.

Anyway, let’s get on with it…

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Jarvin Driftwood: What do you think the odds are that the Eagles take a QB on Day 2?

My gut take is that there’s a pretty good chance of that. This isn’t an immediate overreaction to the ESPN story from Jeremy Fowler and Tim McManus this week about Jalen Hurts. It’s more so taking a step back and looking at how the franchise has operated for a couple decades now. The “quarterback factory” bit was eye roll-worthy when it was first uttered, but it’s continued to prove true in the years since.

I was still a huge Carson Wentz proponent after the 2019 season and was among the many, many Eagles fans out there shocked and angered when the Birds drafted Jalen Hurts in the second round in 2020. It worked itself out! The hit rate of Day 2 quarterbacks isn’t nearly as good as it is for first-round picks, but there’s nothing more valuable in the sport than a good, young QB on a cheap rookie-scale contract. If the Eagles view a given player as a legitimate pro quarterback who’s sliding down draft boards, they’re going to have a legitimate discussion about it regardless of Hurts’ standing as Super Bowl MVP just a year ago.

With the 54th-overall pick in the second round? I’d be a bit nervous of them doing that as a team that still has the talent to compete in 2026. Going for a quarterback with one of their two third-round picks at No. 68 and N0. 98, would be much more palatable.

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I don’t necessarily love any of the likely Day 2 guys like LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier or Penn State’s Drew Allar. If, say, Alabama’s Ty Simpson doesn’t go in the first round though, which is not a given, maybe the Eagles have a more difficult decision on their hands.

VetStadiumSection358: As we head towards the 2026 NFL Draft, we have a relatively good handle on who most of the Eagles’ 2026 starters will be. But what position group has the most concerning outlook to you when considering a 2-3 year time-frame?

I like this question!

I’d have to say the entire offensive line outside of Jordan Mailata at left tackle.

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Lane Johnson’s successor isn’t on the roster, at least not yet ahead of the draft in a few weeks.

Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens would normally still be in their prime in a couple of years, but the injuries that have mounted for the two of them are highly concerning. They both gutted it out during the 2024 playoffs on the way to the Eagles hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. That’s hero stuff. They shouldn’t have any regrets about it, nor should the Eagles. The organization used Day 2 picks on both of them and they helped anchor an elite offensive line that was the foundation of one of the best rushing attacks in NFL history, if not the best, winning the Super Bowl along the way. If one or both of them stepped away from the game following the 2026 campaign, would you really be surprised? I wouldn’t be.

Tyler Steen was “OK” at best in 2025, I’d say, and has he enters the final year of his rookie contract, there’s no guarantee he’s in Philadelphia beyond this season.

Well, I’m more concerned about the future of the 0-line now than I was when I started writing this story!

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chmclark14: Currently, the Eagles have nine picks in the 2026 draft. Two part question: 1) Do you think the Eagles will make all nine picks? 2) Do you have any players in this draft that the Eagles should trade up for if available?

Maybe they still end up with nine new players total ultimately, but I’m sure Howie Roseman will do at least some wheeling and dealing so that they don’t stay with all of their original selections.

As for players who could be worth maneuvering up for, two guys stick out on Day 2 of the draft for me.

One is Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds, who I think Birds fans are pretty familiar with given the run the Hooisers went on while winning the National Championship. He’s undersized, but how could you not love the demeanor when it comes to the personality that cornerbacks need in the NFL? Riq Woolen is in the picture for 2026 as the starting outside cornerback opposite Quinyon Mitchell, but depth is never a bad thing. The secondary is about to get mighty expensive sooner rather than later with the contract extensions that will eventually come for both Mitchell and Cooper DeJean as well.

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The other is Illinois EDGE rusher Gabe Jacas. He had 11 sacks for the Fighting Illini in 2025. The Eagles need to fortify that position in the years to come and the team, obviously, values that position immensely. If you want to overreact to a single practice rep, watch him take on potential first-round pick offensive tackle Max Iheanachor out of Arizona State: