The Eagles' Post-Combine Draft Blueprint: Why Tight End Should Be the Pick at 23

The 2026 NFL Combine is in the books, and if you're Howie Roseman, you spent last week in Indianapolis watching your draft board reshape itself in real time. The Eagles hold the 23rd overall pick, and while the talking heads will debate edge rusher versus offensive tackle until they're blue in the face, the answer is staring Philadelphia right in the mouth.

It's tight end. And it's not particularly close.

The Goedert Reality Check

Dallas Goedert is about to hit free agency for the second straight offseason, and the writing is on the wall. He played 2025 on a one-year, $10 million deal and had a legitimately good season — 11 touchdowns, leading the team in red zone scores. But the man is going to turn 31 this year, and in a league where tight end contracts are ballooning past $15 million annually, do the Eagles really want to invest that kind of money in a player on the wrong side of 30?

The answer should be no. Goedert has been a warrior in midnight green, and Eagles fans should appreciate every snap he gave this franchise. But Howie Roseman didn't build a Super Bowl contender by letting sentiment dictate cap decisions. The Eagles need to get younger and more explosive at the position, and the 2026 draft class just proved it can deliver exactly that.

Kenyon Sadiq Changed Everything in Indianapolis

If you didn't watch the tight end workouts at the Combine, you missed something historic. Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash — the fastest ever recorded by a tight end at the NFL Combine. Let that sink in. A 6-foot-3, 241-pound pass catcher just ran a time that would make half the wide receivers in the league jealous. He paired that with an 11-foot-1 broad jump that had scouts reaching for superlatives they don't normally use for tight ends.

Sadiq isn't just a workout warrior, either. He was a dominant receiving threat at Oregon, the kind of seam-stretcher who forces safeties to pick their poison. In an Eagles offense that runs through Jalen Hurts' ability to manipulate the middle of the field, a tight end who can threaten vertically at that speed is a cheat code.

Now, Sadiq is likely a top-15 pick after that performance. He might be gone by 23. But that's the point — this tight end class is deep enough that the Eagles have options even if the top name is off the board.

The Day 2 Alternative: Max Klare

If the Eagles use their first-round pick elsewhere — and there are legitimate arguments for offensive tackle with Lane Johnson flirting with retirement seemingly every other week — the tight end class still offers value on Day 2. Ohio State's Max Klare has the size and blocking ability that Nick Sirianni's offense demands, and former Eagles scouts have reportedly identified him as a realistic Goedert replacement in the second or third round.

Vanderbilt's Eli Stowers also turned heads at the Combine, posting elite jumps alongside Sadiq. This class has the depth to let the Eagles address the position without reaching.

But What About Edge Rusher?

Yeah, yeah — Jaelan Phillips might walk in free agency, and the Eagles didn't generate the same pass rush in 2025 that they did during the Super Bowl run. Edge is a need. Miami's Akheem Mesidor (12.5 sacks in 2025, 17.5 TFLs) is a legitimate first-round option at 23. But here's the thing: Vic Fangio's defense has always been about scheme over individual talent. Jalyx Hunt showed flashes as a consistent edge presence, and Fangio can manufacture pressure with stunts and blitzes.

You know what Fangio can't scheme around? Not having a legitimate receiving threat at tight end. That's an offensive problem, and it's one that directly impacts Jalen Hurts' ceiling.

The Offensive Tackle Wildcard

Arizona State's Max Iheanachor was one of the biggest Combine winners among offensive linemen. At 6-foot-6, 321 pounds, he ran a 4.91 40-yard dash — tied for the second-fastest among O-linemen — with elite broad jump numbers to match. He's raw (didn't play football until college), but the physical tools are absurd. If Lane Johnson retires, Iheanachor could step in as a developmental right tackle with top-10 upside.

But "if" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. Lane has been contemplating retirement on what feels like a weekly basis, but until he actually hangs them up, the Eagles shouldn't draft for a vacancy that might not exist. Tight end is a vacancy that DOES exist.

The Bottom Line

The Eagles are built to win now. Hurts is in his prime. Saquon Barkley is still elite. DeVonta Smith and whoever lines up opposite him need a tight end who can force defenses out of two-high shells. Goedert did that for years, but the next chapter of this offense needs a younger, faster, more explosive version of that weapon.

The 2026 Combine proved those players exist. Whether it's Sadiq at 23, Klare on Day 2, or a name we haven't buzzed about yet, the Eagles need to leave April's draft with a tight end on the roster who can change the geometry of this offense for the next five years.

Thank Goedert for everything. Then draft his replacement.