Eagles can find Lane Johnson’s potential heir apparent during 2026 NFL Draft without using their first-round pick to do it
Philly will consider what their OL of the future looks like.
The offense for the Philadelphia Eagles felt a sigh of relief this week. Lane Johnson confirmed that he will return as the team’s right tackle in 2026, rather than retiring from football.
While that is great news for the short-term, the long-term outlook at tackle remains food for thought for Nick Sirianni’s team. Do the Eagles plan for the future and target an OT in the first round? That makes less sense to me when you consider they’re competing in the NFC annually right now.
Instead, day two targets at offensive tackle should be the ones truly on their radar. Let’s take a look at some names you’ll probably see in upcoming multi-round mock drafts for Philadelphia.
Potential 2026 NFL Draft OT targets for Eagles on day two
Blake Miller, Clemson
Miller continues to climb up mock drafts. Lately, he’s been a popular pick sometime in the second round. For the Eagles, I think addressing a need at skill position or the pass rush in the first round, followed by choosing Miller on day two would be an awesome outcome for them.
The Tigers product has the NFL-ready size and blends his strength and movement ability together smoothly. I love when offensive lineman have a gritty skillset and play with an edge. While sometimes those type of OL prospects take it a step too far, I don’t think Miller is in that category. With Jeff Stoutland out in Philly, it could be risky to trust the new staff to get the most out of any developmental tackle, but the value is there with Miller sometime on day two.
Caleb Tiernan, Northwestern
Tiernan is another massive tackle prospect, looming at 6’7 and 325 pounds. He’s widely expected to go sometime between rounds two and four. Tiernan’s pass blocking, when at his best, is amongst the best in the class. While you can tell he is still developing and learning the details of playing offensive tackle, his nimble feet and ability to finish both stand out.
The Eagles haven’t been afraid to take a swing on an athletic option that they can mold into an impressive offensive lineman. Tiernan fits that bill and can learn from some of the best, experienced tackles in the game. The potential is riveting here.
Dametrious Crownover, Texas A&M
Dametrious Crownover is one of the more interesting offensive tackle prospects in the 2026 class. At 6-7 and 331 pounds with insanely long arms, Crownover is what you would want physically from a starting right tackle. He has the tight end background that should get offensive line coaches excited about in terms of development.
While he is very raw player right now, there is nothing that he lacks physically outside of just average flexibility. If Crownover can become a more technically refined player, there is no reason why he can’t become a future starter in the long term. — Ryan Roberts
Max Iheanachor, Arizona State
There’s a chance that Max Iheanachor goes at the end of the first round, but there are mixed opinions on him around the league. From a foot quickness and length perspective, Iheanachor has the look of a future starter on the next level. His core strength is a major work in progress right now, which will be the main priority in terms of development.
Iheanachor has some a lot of progress needed, but the future appears very bright after starting the last two year at right tackle for Arizona State. — Ryan Roberts
Replacing Johnson won’t be an easy task. That being said, grabbing an exciting, young option on day two of this year’s draft who can learn from the veteran (and future Hall of Famer) makes all the sense in the world for the Eagles offense.
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