{"id":267028,"date":"2026-02-25T10:00:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T15:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=267028"},"modified":"2026-02-25T09:15:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T14:15:10","slug":"eagles-mock-draft-mel-kiper-predicts-eagles-draft-offensive-weapon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/02\/25\/eagles-mock-draft-mel-kiper-predicts-eagles-draft-offensive-weapon\/","title":{"rendered":"Eagles Mock Draft: Mel Kiper Predicts Eagles Draft Offensive Weapon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mel Kiper’s Latest Mock Draft Predicts Eagles Will Select Standout Tight End<\/h2>\n
The Eagles have numerous needs that they can address in the 2026 NFL Draft. They could decide to add pieces on defense<\/a> to keep the unit elite. They could also opt to reinforce the offensive line<\/a>, which would help immediate and long-term needs. \u00a0The latest Eagles mock draft from ESPN analyst Mel Kiper has the Eagles drafting a new offensive weapon, though.<\/span><\/div>\n

Kenyon Sadiq: Future Eagle?<\/h3>\n
Mel Kiper published his <\/span>most recent Eagles mock draft<\/a><\/span>, and with the 23rd overall pick, he predicts the Eagles will select tight end Kenyon Sadiq<\/a> from the University of Oregon:<\/span><\/div>\n

“If Philadelphia doesn’t bring back free agent\u00a0Dallas Goedert, it would be smart to draft a top-end replacement. Quarterback\u00a0Jalen Hurts\u00a0found Goedert for a team-high 11 receiving touchdowns last season, and he was the third-most-targeted pass catcher on the roster. In other words, Hurts likes throwing to his TE1. Sadiq had eight touchdown receptions last season, and he’s explosive and does a lot of damage after the catch. NFC defenses would have a tough time matching up with him because of his speed and 6-foot-3, 245-pound size.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Adding this explosive tight end will no doubt help Jalen Hurts, Sean Mannion<\/a>, Nick Sirianni<\/a>, and company recover in 2026. With the hope of A.J. Brown<\/a> being back in 2026, Sadiq will complement Brown and DeVonta Smith nicely.<\/p>\n

Eagles New Weapon<\/h3>\n
\n
Sadiq would have an immediate impact if selected by the Eagles. This Eagles mock draft selection implies tight end Dallas Goedert<\/a> will sign elsewhere in free agency. If he does leave, the Eagles would be wise to invest in his replacement. An argument can be made that Sadiq is the player who would be able to make the biggest immediate impact.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Sadiq would step in on day one as the starter. At six feet, three inches in height and 245 pounds, Sadiq has the size that makes him a unique player at the tight end position. It is yet to be seen how he will perform at the NFL Combine. Nonetheless, he flashed impressive athletic traits during his time at Oregon. He hauled in 560 yards to go along with eight touchdowns over 14 games in his 2025 season.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The Eagles are in desperate need of pass-catching threats outside of Smith and Brown. Especially if Brown is not back, the team will be starved for pass-catching talent. Sadiq fits that bill. He will be able to create mismatches when being covered by safeties and linebackers. When Brown and Smith are double-teamed, the Eagles need someone who can win their one-on-one matchups. Sadiq is also a more than willing run blocker, something the Eagles desperately missed last year. There is nothing not to love about this pick for the Eagles.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
One could argue that the smarter pick would be selecting an offensive lineman. The argument that the tight end position is not vital to an elite offense, or that the Eagles don’t prioritize the position, is also true. But Howie Roseman<\/a> is always one step ahead of everyone else. He could throw a curveball at any time, and his first-round pick is a perfect time to do so.<\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mel Kiper’s Latest Mock Draft Predicts Eagles Will Select Standout Tight End The Eagles have numerous needs that they can address in the 2026 NFL Draft. They could decide to add pieces on defense to keep the unit elite. They could also opt to reinforce the offensive line, which would help immediate and long-term needs. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5588,"featured_media":265179,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33761,1647,21,33760],"tags":[3578,33777,34099],"class_list":["post-267028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mock-drafts","category-nfl-draft","category-eagles","category-profiles","tag-dallas-goedert","tag-kenyon-sadiq","tag-mel-kiper"],"modified_by":"Sue Levine","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5588"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267028"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":267098,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267028\/revisions\/267098"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}