Eagles Have 5 Top 100 2026 NFL Draft Picks Amid Compensation for Free Agent Exits

Howie season is in full effect right now for the Philadelphia Eagles, who are poised to have five top-100 picks in the 2026 NFL draft thanks to their losses in free agency this offseason.

In the wake of Mekhi Becton signing a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday, ESPN's Adam Schefter noted the Eagles will receive compensatory picks in rounds three, four, five and six in 2026 on top of the extra third-rounder they already had from the New York Jets from the Hasson Reddick trade.

All told, the Eagles will likely end up with five selections in the top 100 and 12 overall picks in 2026.

The Eagles have let several key contributors to their Super Bowl team from last season leave. Becton, Josh Sweat, Milton Williams and Darius Slay have all signed with other teams as free agents. James Bradberry IV was released on Wednesday.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson was traded to the Houston Texans for Kenyon Green. The two teams swapped 2026 picks in the deal, with the Eagles getting a fifth-rounder and Houston receiving a sixth-rounder.

That's six members of the defense that helped the Eagles finish second in the NFL in points allowed per game last season no longer on the roster. This wasn't an unexpected approach by the defending Super Bowl champs this offseason.

General manager Howie Roseman made a point of wanting to stockpile as many draft picks as possible in part because after their last Super Bowl win in the 2017 season, his approach was to keep that roster intact even though they already had the eighth-oldest roster in the NFL.

NBC Sports Philadelphia's John Clark noted the Eagles are doing all they can now to maintain as much cap flexibility going forward because they want to be able to keep their core group together.

Jalen Carter will be extension eligible after next season. Jordan Davis is eligible for an extension for the first time this offseason, but he could have two more years on his rookie deal if his fifth-year option gets picked up this offseason.

Dallas Goedert is entering the final season of his current contract. Lane Johnson is only signed through 2026 and will turn 35 in May, though he has dismissed retirement being on his radar.

All of those contracts are going to be huge decisions for Roseman. There's also the possibility that Jalen Hurts, who is signed through 2028, could look for a new deal now that recent extensions for others have pushed his $51 million average annual salary down to 10th among all quarterbacks.

It's also just an incredibly smart team-building strategy to give yourself as many picks as possible. The draft is a glorified crap shoot, so being able to bring in a dozen new players in a given year is a great way to replenish your talent base.

When you add in the 2025 draft, the Eagles are currently set to have 20 picks over the next two years.

After hitting a home run with their 2024 rookie class, it's no wonder that Roseman would want to go back to that well many times again in the future to ensure the Eagles are well-positioned to compete for Super Bowls every year.