{"id":872075,"date":"2026-04-22T18:06:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/872075\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T18:06:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:06:47","slug":"one-thing-the-eagles-cant-afford-to-get-wrong-in-the-nfl-draft-in-order-to-win-another-super-bowl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/872075\/","title":{"rendered":"One Thing The Eagles Can&#8217;t Afford To Get Wrong In The NFL Draft In Order To Win Another Super Bowl"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6i\">The Philadelphia Eagles come into this NFL Draft with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/eagles\/onsi\/five-positions-eagles-are-looking-at-in-round-1-of-the-nfl-draft-01kph3jdk8fj\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a pretty lengthy shopping list<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6l\">There are a few positions the Eagles have to look towards the future. They have to find a Lane Johnson successor while adding depth to the interior of the offensive line. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6o\">Philadelphia also needs to figure out a trade partner for A.J. Brown and whether they can get a 2027 first-round pick or not for him. That may not be completed during the draft, but teams will be active. They may also be in the hunt for a WR2 early in the draft. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6r\">The Eagles also need to find a starting safety, and also may be able to get that early in this draft.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6u\">Philadelphia is going to be busy on all three days of the draft, yet there&#8217;s one position the Eagles have to get right. Wide receiver is the obvious choice, but this position is more important towards winning a title in 2026. <\/p>\n<p>Pass rusher is a glaring need<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"70\">The Eagles decided against giving Jaelan Phillips a four-year deal worth $30 million a season &#8212; which was the right move. Since the Eagles passed on paying Phillips, that leaves Philadelphia back where it was at the beginning of last season at pass rusher. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"73\">Jalyx Hunt is significantly better heading into year three, and is a star in the making. His best ball was when Phillips was on the roster. Nolan Smith is a good pass rusher, but is often injured. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"76\">This is a good top two to have, but there are question marks regarding both. The Eagles added depth to the pass rush by signing Arnold Ebiketie and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka to one-year contracts, but they need a quality pass rusher if they want to win a championship. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"79\">This unit is fine, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/eagles\/onsi\/eagles-face-pressing-need-at-edge-rusher-heading-into-2026-nfl-draft-01kpc1jqtr90\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">but can be significantly better.<\/a> If Hunt or Smith get injured and have to miss multiple weeks, forget this team consistently getting to the quarterback. <\/p>\n<p>Can this be fixed early in the draft?<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7f\">The top pass rushers &#8212; Arvell Reese and Davis Bailey &#8212; are going inside the top-10. The Eagles don&#8217;t have a chance at any of them unless they make a significantly move up. Reuben Bain Jr. has some off-field baggage &#8212; and after him are players that are probably worth picking past No. 23. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7i\">Ahkeem Mesidor is a good player, but he&#8217;s already 25 years old. Keldric Faulk has good traits and a lot of potential, but no production to show for it. Do the Eagles want to take a chance on these players early when they have other areas to address? <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7l\">If the Eagles add to the pass rush, that may have to come on Day 2 on the draft. The pick will be safer to stomach and the Eagles can develop a good depth piece. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7o\">Drafting a player may not be the move anyway. <\/p>\n<p>There are veteran pass rushers available <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-16\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7u\">This may be the route the Eagles have to take &#8212; and likely prefer to take. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-17\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7x\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/eagles\/onsi\/elite-pass-rushers-available-eagles-can-trade-for-leading-up-to-the-nfl-draft-01knvpwdx83d\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Eagles have been liked to Jonathan Greenard <\/a>throughout the offseason, and have the draft capital in the second and third rounds to facilitate a deal. A proven pass rusher that can get to the quarterback is what this pass rush needs anyway &#8212; instead of taking a chance on a draft pick. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-18\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"80\">Parting ways with a second or third-round pick (likely one of the thirds) is better for the Eagles anyway. There still is a championship window, and a good pass rusher keeps this defense a top-5 unit. Remember how the defense was elite once the Eagles acquired Phillips last year?<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-19\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"83\">Alex Highsmith is also available, and the Eagles can&#8217;t rule out trying to get Maxx Crosby either (even if he&#8217;ll cost premium draft capital). This draft is an excellent opportunity to add a veteran pass rusher, and the Eagles have the premium picks to get one. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-20\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"86\">The Eagles can replace Phillips this way, and should. They need to get this right. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\">Follow<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Philadelphia Eagles come into this NFL Draft with a pretty lengthy shopping list. There are a few&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":872076,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2068],"tags":[25,7,6,242,109,2476],"class_list":{"0":"post-872075","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia-eagles","8":"tag-eagles","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-nfl","11":"tag-philadelphia","12":"tag-philadelphia-eagles","13":"tag-philadelphiaeagles"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116449699350369325","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=872075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/872076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=872075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=872075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=872075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}