2026 NFL draft: Eagles stole WR Makai Lemon from the Steelers; A.J. Brown's future in Philly; Birds have three picks tonight

Here are eight prospects who could address their short- and long-term needs. Players with asterisks reportedly had some sort of pre-draft visit with the Eagles:

S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo

Could McNeil-Warren join Quinyon Mitchell as yet another Eagles defensive back out of Toledo? McNeil-Warren is a unique safety prospect given his size at 6-foot-4, 201 pounds. He may be light, but he plays hard, especially against the run. In four seasons at Toledo, three as a starter, McNeil-Warren generated nine forced fumbles. He was a playmaker in coverage, too, snaring six career interceptions. If the Eagles are interested in drafting him, though, they may need to move up from No. 54.

The annoying world of streaming will come to a head for Philly sports fans tonight, with three events scattered across the digital world.

Day 2 of the NFL draft will be most accessible, airing on ABC, ESPN, and the NFL Network beginning at 7 p.m. tonight. But you'll need at least two separate screens to keep up with the rest of the action across town.

Game 3 of the 76ers first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics also begins at 7 p.m. tonight, but the game isn't airing on TV – it's streaming exclusively on Amazon's Prime Video and won't air on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Most of the Eagles’ immediate needs are on defense. The team has a vacancy at the starting safety spot alongside Drew Mukuba, which Reed Blankenship created when he signed with the Houston Texans in free agency.

The team could also use contributors among the edge rusher corps. Jaelan Phillips signed with the Carolina Panthers at the start of the new league year, leaving Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt as the top tandem in the room. The team signed a few low-cost free agents this offseason, including Arnold Ebiketie, but Howie Roseman could stand to add to the group.

The Eagles’ long-term needs are primarily on offense. Dallas Goedert, 31, is returning to the team on a one-year deal for his ninth season. But beyond 2026, the Eagles are in need of a prospective TE1.

Makai Lemon’s phone rang. The USC wide receiver was in Pittsburgh attending the draft, and for a second he was home. It was the Steelers on the line.

But the phone rang again.

“It was the Eagles,” Lemon said.

Two things can be true at once. Case in point: the Eagles drafted Makai Lemon because they saw value in trading up for the Southern Cal wide receiver and because they need a replacement for the likely-departing A.J. Brown.

But need at the position was never likely to influence how Eagles general manager Howie Roseman approached the first round of the NFL draft. If that were the case, he would have forced a tackle to be Lane Johnson’s heir apparent, or uncharacteristically taken a safety to fill their most obvious need.

No, moving up three spots from No. 23 to 20 was, first and foremost, about Lemon dropping when the Eagles ranked him among their top prospects. It might have also been about the pieces not falling exactly the way they had projected, particularly at the tackle spot, where they had focused much of their pre-draft efforts.