Spadaro: You see the Lombardi Trophies at the Jefferson Health Training Complex, did that move you at all? Greenard: \u201cIt moved me so much. I was in Minnesota, I didn\u2019t see any hardware there. I was in Houston, didn\u2019t see any hardware. So I actually see it and hear guys talk about it, you know, Jalen (Hurts, quarterback) texted me and was like, \u2018We\u2019re gonna get one,\u2019 and it\u2019s not just talk. This is how everybody carries themselves around the building. It\u2019s the standard, the standard is the standard. This team already had everything they need to get to that point, so bringing me here, I just feel like I can just add to that what\u2019s already being built here and I can just be myself truly, and just play ball and everything else will work itself out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jonathan Greenard excited to join the Eagles: \u201cI respect the hell out of this city\u201d – BGN<\/a> Thoughts on the Jonathan Greenard Trade – Daily Norseman<\/a> Eagles Day 3 Draft Takeaways and Roster Breakdown with BLG! – The Ringer\u2019s Philly Special<\/a> Grading the Eagles\u2019 final 2026 draft haul – PhillyVoice<\/a> 2026 Draft \u2013 Day 3 Review – Iggles Blitz<\/a> 2026 NFL Draft grades for all 32 teams – PFF<\/a> Five thoughts on the Eagles\u2019 2026 NFL draft class after Uar Bernard, Cole Payton headline Howie Roseman\u2019s Day 3 haul – PHLY<\/a> Jordan Matthews played five seasons with the Eagles. He believes fellow Vandy product Eli Stowers will be a \u2018silent killer\u2019 in Philly – Inquirer<\/a> 2026 NFL draft: Best picks, trades, QB fits and predictions – ESPN<\/a> Have the Eagles done it again with Nigerian draft pick Uar Bernard? – NBCSP<\/a> NDSU QB Cole Payton Selected 178th Overall by Philadelphia Eagles at 2026 NFL Draft – Underdog Dynasty<\/a> Ole Miss and the 2026 NFL Draft – Red Cup Rebellion<\/a> NFL will review the Steelers\u2019 call to Makai Lemon, after the draft ends – PFT<\/a> Cowboys defensive makeover is even more extreme than you think – Blogging The Boys<\/a> Commanders Draft Grades: Smart draft gets good reviews for Washington – Hogs Haven<\/a> NY Giants draft 2026: \u2018Things I think\u2019 about New York\u2019s draft class – Big Blue View<\/a> NFL Draft results 2026: Pick-by-pick tracker for every selection – SB Nation<\/a> Social Media Information:<\/p>\n BGN Facebook Page: Click here to like our page<\/a><\/p>\n BGN Twitter: Follow @BleedingGreen<\/a><\/p>\n BGN BlueSky: Follow @bleedgreennation.bsky.social<\/a><\/p>\n BGN Instagram: Follow @BleedingGreenInsta<\/a><\/p>\n BGN Manager: Follow Brandon Lee Gowton on Twitter<\/a> | BlueSky<\/a> | Threads<\/a><\/p>\n BGN Radio Twitter: Follow @BGN_Radio<\/a><\/p>\n Each day, we highlight a BGN community post here in this space. Head over to The Feed<\/a> to submit your entry and have a chance to be featured in The Linc!<\/p>\n Looking to get more votes for this poll!<\/p>\n Grade the Eagles’ 2026 draft class<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The Eagles drafted eight rookies and traded for veteran edge rusher Jonathan Greenard in the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n How would you grade Howie Roseman’s performance this weekend? Vote in the poll and give us your explanation in the comments below!<\/p>\n 1 (20) – Makai Lemon, WR, USC<\/p>\n 2 (54) – Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt<\/p>\n 3 (68) – Markel Bell, OT, Miami<\/p>\n 5 (178) – Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State<\/p>\n 6 (207) – Micah Morris, OG, Georgia<\/p>\n 7 (244) – Cole Wisniewski, S, Texas Tech<\/p>\n 7 (251) – Uar Bernard, DT<\/p>\n 7 (252) – Keyshawn James-Newby, EDGE, New Mexico<\/p>\n Closes in 3 days \u2022 303 total votesView results<\/p>\n ABCDFLikeRec 2CommentsThin Stroke Comment Icon BubbleReplyRead 28 replies
One of the Eagles biggest moves on Day 2 of the draft was finalizing a trade for Jonathan Greenard, bringing the former Vikings edge rusher to Philly and signing him to a new 4-year, $100 million deal. Greenard was already at the facility and spoke to reporters about how the trade went down, how his shoulder is doing, and how he fits into the Eagles defensive unit. Greenard admitted that it\u2019s been a long ride this offseason to get to this point, and noted that he\u2019s been dealing with rehabbing his shoulder and his son was born in late-January, too.<\/p>\n
Overall, it was a short stint for Greenard with the Vikings at just two seasons and missing part of last season. I get the impression that he became more unhappy in Minnesota last season for a few reasons- the team not doing as well and his sack production down which he might have attributed to Flores\u2019 blitz scheme which didn\u2019t go over well with veteran journeymen looking to boost their sack numbers. His asking for a pay raise may have been as much about getting traded as it was seeking more money. Be that as it may, he was a good player for the Vikings, but a trade made sense for both sides.<\/p>\n
Sheil is joined by Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation Day Three of the 2026 NFL Draft and who the Eagles selected. The guys also go through each position group and whether it\u2019s a point of strength or needs to be improved.<\/p>\n
The Eagles hunted for players with traits to work with and develop over time, which isn\u2019t abnormal for them, but does make particular sense in what was widely regarded as a weak draft class. Overall, I thought the Eagles had good process in the themes of this draft, as usual. They added immediate help in Lemon, Greenard, and Wicks, and long-term help (ideally) with the rest of their picks. B+.<\/p>\n
Calling Bernard an athletic freak feels like an understatement. He is basically the same speed as Grant Calcaterra, but is 70 pounds heavier. That\u2019s insane. He has no football experience so this is a long shot. Jordan Mailata panned out, but was good at a similar sport and just had to adjust to football. Bernard is a blank slate. Clint Hurtt worked him out and has met with him multiple times so the Eagles did their homework. This is a gamble they feel is worth it because of Bernard\u2019s potential. He will be interesting to follow this summer. Becaus he\u2019s an international player the Eagles get a roster exemption for him so this is a smart gamble.<\/p>\n
Highest-graded pick (2025): QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State Bison (95.9). Payton: In a world where people like to force \u201cthe next Taysom Hill\u201d each draft season, Payton actually has the ingredients to potentially be worthy of that comparison. He is a well-above-average athlete for the position and a decent enough passer (lefty) to play as an H-back and even a dropback quarterback in a pinch. However, his play as a quarterback under pressure against NFL-caliber competition is still quite unproven.<\/p>\n
The Eagles are hoping Bernard follows Mailata\u2019s path, and that seventh-round safety Cole Wisniewski follows the one paved by Reed Blankenship. Wisniewski was one of my co-host Bo Wulf\u2019s favorite prospects in the draft despite being somewhat of an unorthodox athlete and an older prospect because he so perfectly fits the \u201cgood football player\u201d description as a physical prospect out of Texas Tech. The 24-year-old has two years of starting experience in college \u2014 one at Texas Tech and one at North Dakota State \u2014 and showed a level of instinctual play in his final season to leave Roseman willing to compare him to Blankenship as an unheralded prospect with a chance to defy the odds. \u201cThere\u2019s some reminder of a guy that we won a Super Bowl with,\u201d Roseman said. \u201cThose are tough shoes to fill, but when you watched him, you saw some of the things you liked on Reed. That would be an unbelievable outcome, an unbelievable career that Reed had, miss that guy for sure, but those are some of the things that we saw.\u201d Roseman\u2019s caveat is an important one: Very few undrafted free agents or seventh-round picks in Wisniewski\u2019s case go on to start 50 games in their career like Blankenship has managed in his first four seasons, but it\u2019s still noteworthy that the Eagles believe their new safety prospect has a chance to follow a similar path.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was about to go to sleep. He was like, \u2018Man, I can\u2019t even express how proud I am and how happy I am for you.\u2019 And he was like, \u2018Anything you need. I know everything about Philly. Let me know.\u2019\u201d Matthews had to run \u2014 literally. He had to get up early the next morning to partake in his first-ever marathon \u2013 the Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll Nashville. But after completing it and getting some rest, he spoke to The Inquirer and wanted to tell Philly everything he knew about Stowers. He said the 23-year-old who grew up in Denton, Texas, and transferred from Texas A&M to New Mexico State and finally to Vanderbilt, would endear himself to Philadelphia-area fans because he has a \u201csilent killer\u201d disposition like popular current Eagles DeVonta Smith, Saquon Barkley, and Jalen Hurts. \u201cThe thing that\u2019s the most endearing to Philly fans are guys that shut up and go to work,\u201d Matthews said of Stowers. \u201cThey go to work, they get it done, they take criticism, they don\u2019t complain. They don\u2019t go back and forth with coaches, media, fans. They show up and get better.<\/p>\n
Who was the best value pick in Round 1? Miller: Lemon to the Eagles. Philadelphia traded up to No. 20 to steal Lemon from the Steelers (who were set to pick at No. 21), and landed my No. 8 overall player in the process. Lemon was my WR1 in the class thanks to his toughness in the middle of the field and his fantastic run-after-catch ability.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first day I met [Mailata], he told me that I should use my talents to bless my family,\u201d Bernard said. \u201cSo I believe that what he told me coming through the IPP, going to the NFL as an international player, he is more like a role model to me, what he is doing now in the NFL.\u201d Bernard\u2019s father died when he was a teenager and he said he then had to provide for his mother. He said he wanted to pursue a career in football to provide for his family; that dream took a huge step forward on Saturday night. Before being introduced to American football, Bernard grew up in the northern part of Nigeria playing soccer and then basketball. According to The Athletic, a basketball coach suggested Bernard look into football, so Bernard attended several camps before getting noticed. Eventually, Bernard was selected for the program and was introduced to football through former NFL star Osi Umenyioria, who is of Nigerian descent and has been a lead ambassador for the NFL\u2019s efforts in Africa. While Bernard was still back home in Nigeria, he began to watch clips of American football and two players became his favorites. \u201cI watched Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald,\u201d Bernard said. \u201cI love the way they play. Mostly Aaron Donald, I love his intensity towards the O-linemen. I love the way he crush the pocket and make his move to the quarterback. Myles Garrett, I love his athletic abilities to move around and make sacks.\u201d<\/p>\n
His dual-threat ability under center will help Payton greatly. His speed and ability to evade defenders on the ground is something that has made him a top signal caller. Payton\u2019s arm is also an asset, though, in both its strength and accuracy. He puts a great amount of zip on the ball and is excellent at throwing his receivers open downfield. Overall Payton should fit into the Eagles system very well but will likely serve as a second or third stringer for a while.<\/p>\n
There is a timeline where a team drafts Wallace, Williams, or Kapena Gushiken late, though that would be a surprise. Gushiken may seem like an odd inclusion, but he had an absurd Ole Miss pro day, which created INTRIGUE in the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE. [BLG Note: The Eagles signed Gushiken as a UDFA.]<\/p>\n
Former Eagles exec Jake Rosenberg noted on Friday that the Steelers may have run afoul of the rules by talking directly to Lemon at a time when the Eagles were attempting to reach him. On Friday, we asked the league about the rule regarding calling prospects when another team is on the clock. Here\u2019s the response we received earlier today: \u201cThe league reviews all aspects of the Draft the week after its conclusion.\u201d Obviously, the Steelers\u2019 call to Lemon will fall within the scope of that review. It seemed to be an innocent mistake, and the Eagles likely would have picked Lemon in that spot even if they couldn\u2019t have made the perfunctory phone call before doing so. Besides, the embarrassment of having it known that tackle Max Iheanachor was Plan B is arguably punishment enough.<\/p>\n
A change of this magnitude is not just unusual, it\u2019s unprecedented for a team like the Cowboys that likes to keep things comfortable and is generally averse to change. The Cowboys of the past would have talked about a two- or three-year rebuild, but they are doing this in one year. If ever the \u201call-in\u201d label could be applied to anything in Dallas, it\u2019s on this defensive rebuild. Will it work from day one? Who knows. There are so many moving parts to this that predicting an outcome is impossible. But the Cowboys don\u2019t need to have a world-beating defense from day one anyway. Even a middling defense that doesn\u2019t need the offense scoring touchdowns on every possession to keep them in games would already be a giant step forward for this team. But if they pull it off, they become an almost automatic contender.<\/p>\n
The NFL draft grading cabal agrees that this was a good draft for the Commanders, despite missing their second- and fourth- round picks due to lady year\u2019s trade for LT Laremy Tunsil. They got one A+, and their lowest grade was a B-. Hogs Haven gave the draft class a B, and there will be a lot of time to debate these picks before we get to see them in action!<\/p>\n
It is easy to be optimistic today. Giants fans should all be optimistic right now. It\u2019s been a terrific offseason with the hiring of a future Hall of Fame head coach, free agency, and now a draft that is being widely lauded. A note of caution, though. You are supposed to feel good today. I think Giants have had the right to feel good coming out of all five of Schoen\u2019s drafts. Winning the draft isn\u2019t, though, winning on the field. It\u2019s time for the Giants to begin doing that before they, and the fan base, can really begin to feel good.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re keeping track of every pick in the 2026 NFL Draft right here.<\/p>\n![\"Brandon](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/bald-eagle_1_600x450.jpg\"\/)
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