NFL draft 2026: Who could the Eagles target with the No. 23 overall pick?

The last time the Eagles picked in the early 20s range of the NFL draft was two years ago, when the team broke a 22-year streak of not selecting a defensive back in the first round. The player they selected was Toledo defensive back Quinyon Mitchell, who was recently named a first-team NFL All-Pro.

After a disappointing end to their Super Bowl title defense, the Eagles head into the offseason with uncertainty at a few positions, but most of their core is intact.

Could they add younger pieces to an offensive line that struggled? Add some youth to a tight end room that might be without Dallas Goedert next year? Or will the Eagles add to the secondary?

With the Eagles locked into the No. 23 pick in the 2026 NFL draft, barring a trade, here are six players they could target:

Entering the 2025 college football season, Proctor, Alabama’s starting left tackle, had high grades from the NFL, but his uneven performances across 2025 have left his projection uncertain. Still, his athleticism at 6-foot-7, 366 pounds is hard to ignore, especially if teams project him as an interior player.

Proctor has powerful striking power upon contact and is an aggressive run blocker who can create displacement in one-on-one and double-team blocks. He has flashed the ability to stop defenders in their tracks when he gets his hands on them in pass protection.

The offensive tackle’s blocking technique is inconsistent, he plays with too high of a pad level at times, and he can too easily give up his outside shoulder on passing downs. Pairing Proctor with offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland could help the Alabama product become a more consistent player who could fit at either guard or tackle with his skill set along the Eagles’ O-line.

One of the more popular names you will hear for the Eagles during draft season is Sadiq, who is an incredible athlete at the tight end position and relishes doing the dirty work as a blocker in the run game.

At 6-3, 245 pounds, Sadiq is unlikely to play as an attached tight end and will be coveted more for his receiving prowess. The Oregon standout, who finished the season with a team-high eight receiving scores, thrives working the seam and finding soft spots in zone coverage. His value in the red zone is noteworthy, with his ability to win vertically against secondary players and athleticism to catch passes in congested areas. According to Pro Football Focus, Sadiq caught 5 of 9 contested catch attempts.

The tight end prospect needs to clean up his drops (6 in 2025), become a more complete route runner, and is more of an insert and cutoff blocker rather than a player who will be asked to block defensive linemen one-on-one. But Sadiq would be a dynamic addition to the Eagles, who haven’t drafted a tight end in Round 1 since they took Keith Jackson at No. 13 overall in 1988.

Sticking with the theme of offensive linemen, Lomu, a redshirt sophomore, is a skilled pass protector with quick, nimble feet, recovery ability, and a player who can refit his hands when they’re knocked off by pass rushers. At 6-6, 308 pounds, Lomu has the athleticism to move in pass protection and live out on an island against speed and power rushers.

Per PFF, Lomu has allowed just eight quarterback pressures and zero sacks across 383 pass blocking snaps. The Utah tackle’s play strength needs to improve, evidenced by his inconsistency maintaining run blocks and generating movement at the line of scrimmage.

Lomu, though, could be the future for the Eagles at tackle, especially with Lane Johnson’s injury troubles this year. The prospect doesn’t have guard flexibility, but gives the Eagles a contingency plan for the 35-year-old Johnson’s inevitable retirement, whenever that occurs.

One name that is starting to get buzz within the draft community is Freeling, the Georgia left tackle who finished the season playing at a high level in the team’s biggest game, a playoff loss to Ole Miss. The 6-7, 315-pound lineman moves well blocking in space, does a nice job framing up his blocks in the run game, and rarely gets beat in pass protection.

Freeling is fairly inexperienced relative to the other players on the list, having made just 17 starts in college, and has a tendency to lunge forward on blocks at times, but he would be a high-upside player who has a chance to be Johnson’s heir in a few years.

There aren’t many interior offensive linemen worthy of a first-round pick, but Penn State left guard Ioane, a two-year starter, would be an ideal fit if the Eagles are looking to upgrade their interior.

Ioane consistently creates running lanes with his physicality and torque at 6-4, 336 pounds, and has knock-back power in pass protection to keep interior pass rushers at bay.

Despite the Nittany Lions’ disappointing season, Ioane was a bright spot, allowing just four pressures and zero sacks across 311 pass blocking snaps, according to PFF. He’s not an elite athlete, but has some movement ability in space. With the struggles in the interior from Eagles guards Landon Dickerson and Tyler Steen, Ioane could be an upgrade.

If the Eagles decide to pair another early-round corner opposite Mitchell and keep Cooper DeJean in the slot, Terrell, the younger brother of Falcons corner A.J. Terrell, would be an ideal prospect to bring in. The Clemson defensive back didn’t have quite the same amount of ball production as his first two seasons, but was sticky in man coverage situations and forced five fumbles in 2025.

Terrell is a smaller defensive back (5-11, 180 pounds) who struggles when matched up against bigger wideouts and tight ends. But he’s competitive at the catch point, has good zone-coverage instincts to close on routes developing in front of him, and has some nickel versatility to his game.