Eight Eagles draft targets to watch during the first round of the College Football Playoff

The first round of the College Football Playoff gets underway Friday with Oklahoma taking on Alabama (8 p.m., 6ABC).

Three more games follow on Saturday: Miami-Texas A&M, Mississippi-Tulane, and Oregon-James Madison. There will be plenty of draft prospects to keep an eye on, especially ones who could end up on the Eagles next season with the team projected to have eight picks in the 2026 draft.

Here’s a look at the players the Eagles should be keeping a close eye on this weekend.

The Oregon offense has plenty of weapons at quarterback Dante Moore’s disposal, but no one may be quite as important as tight end Sadiq, who leads the team in receptions (40) and touchdowns (eight). The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Sadiq is more of a receiving tight end than blocker, but he has tenacious effort in the run game, kicking out edge rushers and driving linebackers and secondary players backward in space.

Sadiq is an explosive athlete who thrives working the seam and finding soft spots in zone coverage. And 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. The Eagles have a long-term need at tight end, despite Dallas Goedert’s strong year, and Sadiq can bring youth and elite athleticism to the room.

Over the summer, Mauigoa was at Lane Johnson’s OL Masterminds event in Dallas, picking the brain of one of the most consistent tackles in the NFL. That time with Johnson has seemed to pay off for Mauigoa, who is technically refined as a pass protector and a mauler as a run blocker.

Across 394 pass-blocking snaps, Mauigoa has allowed just two sacks and nine pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Though the three-year starter has made all of his appearances in college at right tackle, some teams view Mauigoa as a high-level guard with his run-blocking prowess. Whether the Eagles view him as a guard or tackle, the 6-6, 335-pound lineman would be a nice addition at either spot.

Howell, who was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year last week, is one of the few edge rushers in this class with first-round worthy film, but his 30¾-inch arms, well below the NFL’s standard of 32-inch arms, may scare some teams off. But his athleticism and fluidity running the arc as a pass rusher makes him hard to ignore.

Though he needs to work on his run defense, Howell’s pass-rush ability will be coveted. In a class without many top-end edge rushers, he seems like a good bet to go in the back half of Round 1. Edge rusher probably isn’t the most pressing need for the Eagles’ defense, but Howell would bring some additional juice to it.

Playing for his third school in five years, Oregon’s left guard is a road grader in the run game, easily passes off defensive line stunts, and isn’t afraid to clean up a pocket if he isn’t blocking a defensive lineman. Pregnon has a powerful initial punch to redirect pass rushers and climbs to the second-level of a defense on double-team blocks in the run game.

He has only surrendered three pressures across 351 pass-blocking snaps, according to PFF, and is rarely caught out of position. He has experience at both guard spots and could slot in at right guard if the Eagles feel the need to upgrade with Tyler Steen entering the final year of his contract next season.

The Eagles could be looking to upgrade their receiver room with Jahan Dotson set to be a free agent after this season, though drafting a wideout early seems unlikely. Still, Concepcion is a dynamic receiver who has returned to his freshman form this season, consistently winning on a vertical plane and creating explosive plays with the ball in his hands.

Concepcion transferred from North Carolina State and has become the Aggies’ top receiver, leading the team in receptions (57), receiving yards (886), and touchdowns (nine). He recently won the Paul Hornung Award, which is given to the most versatile player in college football, and would be a welcome addition to the Eagles’ passing attack.

Though Adoree’ Jackson has settled into the corner spot across from Quinyon Mitchell, the Eagles could still look to upgrade the position. Lee is a physical, long defensive back who excels at disrupting routes and breaking on timing routes on an island. An exceptional athlete who is sticky in man coverage, Lee doesn’t have quite the same production as last year when he had two interceptions. But he has seven passes defended this season and has allowed catches on just 54.5% of his targets.

While he can get overly aggressive and grabby on routes (six penalties in 2025) and must find the ball better in man coverage situations, Lee has the size (6-1, 189 pounds) and competitiveness to excel at the NFL level. A good showing against Miami could be a big stock booster.

The Oklahoma pass rusher has been limited to just nine games because of injury, but his production hardly decreased with nine tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks for the Sooners. Thomas is an elite rusher with excellent closing speed to run the pass rush arc and has a lethal speed-to-power conversion in his repertoire.

Like Howell, Thomas is likely to be a pass-rush specialist early in his NFL career, but his value getting after the quarterback should still have him selected within the first two rounds of the 2026 draft.

All of the attention will be on Miami’s star pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr., an expected early-round pick, but versatile edge rusher Mesidor deserves some love, too. The sixth-year senior has inside-out pass-rush ability, possesses strong, active hands, and a quick first step to turn the corner on offensive linemen.

He played more of an interior role in 2024, but has a natural fit as a defensive end. Mesidor plays with good leverage and hand usage in the run game, and though he’s an older prospect (24), he can make an immediate impact along a defensive line in need of players who can man multiple spots. Mesidor has a career-high 12 tackles for loss and has matched a career high in sacks with seven in 11 games this season.