NFL draft: Eagles add a QB, more on Day 3; Philly fans impress Greenard; Steelers may be in trouble over Lemon phone call

The penultimate Eagles pick is an interesting one.

The Eagles, using one of the two picks they acquired from the Rams when they traded down in the sixth round, selected Nigerian defensive tackle prospect Uar Bernard at pick No. 251, a prospect who has never played organized football.

Bernard, an International Pathway Program player, is 6-foot-4, 306 pounds, and has just 6% body fat.

The Eagles used the 244th pick to select Texas Tech safety Cole Wisniewski.

Wisniewski, a 6-foot-3, 219-pound senior, was honorable mention All-Big 12. He had 78 tackles, including one sack.

Safety was a position the Eagles entered the weekend needed to add some depth at. They were even in the running to draft one earlier.

Grades have become every NFL draft analyst’s favorite means of rating a selection, but it’s what goes into the grade that really counts. The Inquirer’s Eagles reporters Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Ryan Novozinsky, and Devin Jackson will evaluate all of the team’s 2026 NFL draft picks based on four separate components, leading with Day 1 selection Makai Lemon and continuing with Friday night’s Day 2 choices and the third day of selections below.

Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State (6-foot-3, 232 pounds)

Pick: 5th Round, No. 178 overall

The Eagles have another Georgia Bulldog in the building, just not on the defense.

The Eagles selected Georgia guard Micah Morris with the 207th pick in the draft after trading down 10 spots with the Los Angeles Rams.

Morris, who is 6-foot-5 and 334 pounds, started all 14 games this year at left guard after playing some right guard with the Bulldogs in 2024.

Fifth round pick Cole Payton was one of the quarterbacks that Devin Jackson previewed ahead of the draft. Now he's an Eagle. Here's what Devin thinks of the new QB ...

Yes, Payton played for North Dakota State, which may still be a sore spot for some Eagles fans who have a negative association with Carson Wentz’s alma mater. Payton, a one-year starter for the Bison, has a nice deep-ball touch on vertical throws, has a strong arm to make throws at all three levels of a defense, and is an extremely athletic player who excelled so much as a runner that the staff used him in run-only packages early in his career.

The lack of experience at the position and facing FCS-level competition are big reasons he is projected to be a Day 3 pick. Like Green, Payton tries to create plays outside the pocket, which can then turn into negative plays like turnovers and sacks. His pocket feel, while it has improved, still needs work, and that will only happen with more reps.

The Eagles used their fifth-round pick to take a quarterback, selecting North Dakota State's Cole Payton with the 178th pick in the draft.

Payton, a second-team FCS All-American, threw for 2,719 yards and completed 72% of his passes last season. He had 16 touchdowns against four interceptions.

The lefty from Omaha, Neb., is a dual-threat player who ran a 4.56 40-yard dash at the combine and rushed for 777 yards on 136 carries last season.

The Eagles parted ways with a relatively hefty package in order to trade up three spots to select Makai Lemon on Thursday night.

In addition to the 23rd pick, they also sent the Dallas Cowboys two fourth-round picks: No. 114 and No. 137.

Dallas used those both of those picks to continue adding defensive talent. The Cowboys picked Florida cornerback Devin Moore at No. 114 and then selected Alabama edge rusher LT Overton 23 picks later.

By now you've heard that Makai Lemon was on the phone with the Pittsburgh Steelers when the Eagles were trying to reach him to make the USC wide receiver their first-round pick.

But the Steelers may have been violating a league rule.

They weren't on the clock until pick No. 21, and were apparently unaware the Eagles jumped in front of them and traded with Dallas for pick No. 20.

Drew Shelton, a two-year starter at Penn State and a Downingtown West graduate, was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys 112th overall in the fourth round of the NFL draft.

Shelton, who succeeded Jets offensive linemen Olu Fashanu at left tackle beginning in the 2024 season, becomes the second consecutive Downingtown West graduate to get drafted. Will Howard was selected by the Steelers in the sixth round of last year’s draft.

Leading up to the draft, Shelton was training in Dallas with Duke Manyweather, the offensive line guru and the cofounder of OL Masterminds with Lane Johnson.

The Eagles only have three remaining picks on Saturday — for now — and they're not on the lock until pick No. 178, but this day has historically brought them some important players.

To be sure, some not-so-good players, too. And only having three picks makes it a little less statistically likely they have a high hit rate on the Day 3 class in 2026.

But in case you need some reminding, here are some of Howie Roseman's best Day 3 picks:

The Eagles introduced their new edge rusher, Jonathan Greenard, Saturday morning, just over 12 hours after acquiring him from the Vikings for a pair of third round picks.

So what does he think of the defense already in place? And how does he see himself fitting alongside the team's current front seven?

"If you look at it across the board, they've got some dogs," Greenard said of the Eagles current defensive front. "Already, you start interior-wise, [Moro] Ojomo and obviously J.C. [Jalen Carter] and J.D. [Jordan Davis], they're going to do their things. On the edge guys, it's such a young presence and guys who are just relentless. I feel like that's where I can add to it, just like a vet presence. You've got Nolan [Smith] already doing his thing and elevating his game, and Jalyx [Hunt] as well. ...

On Day 3 of the draft, Howie Roseman has said in the past he is looking for players with unique traits who can develop into starters.

But as it currently stands, the Eagles are set to take fewer swings at identifying those future starters on the draft’s final day. Roseman has just three picks at his disposal — Round 5, No. 178, Round 6, No. 197, and Round 7, No. 244. He traded 2026 picks away to move up for Makai Lemon and to acquire Jonathan Greenard from the Minnesota Vikings and Dontayvion Wicks from the Green Bay Packers.

Roseman considers Greenard and Wicks to be exploits of this draft, even though they are veterans. Still, Roseman expressed a sense of longing for his since-departed Day 3 picks.

Here are a few players who have been connected to the Eagles during the pre-draft process and are still available:

OT Jude Bowry, Boston College

Bowry, the 6-foot-5, 314-pounder, was a two-year starter at left tackle at Boston College. He is heralded for his athleticism at the position, as evidenced by his 5.08 40-yard dash (80th percentile) and his 34.5-inch vertical jump (96th percentile). Bowry could be better suited for guard at the next level given his size, although he did not play the position in college.

Jonathan Greenard, edge rusher

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman sat at the podium Friday night after what he called an “eventful” Day 2 of the 2026 NFL draft.

The Birds made two draft picks, but the bigger move was acquiring Minnesota edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, who the Eagles signed to a four-year deal worth $100 million.