Eagles Mailbag: Is there a Lane Johnson replacement in the NFL Draft?

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 26: Lane Johnson #65 of the Philadelphia Eagles lines up before the snap during an NFL football game against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on October 26, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The NFL Draft beckons! I'll get right to some mailbag questions from our loyal BGN readers...

drmdub: For me it seems pretty obvious that our biggest problem last year was the offensive line. Jalen is who Jalen is, there's no changing that, but he always does better when the line is excellent and the running game is in top form. All that being said, do you think the OL is something they focus on in the draft? I know the old guys are healthier" but they are old guys".DaVinch: Is there a legitimate replacement for Lane Johnson in this draft?

Let's work on these two together, shall we?

I'm very much on board with the offensive line being the reason the 2025 campaign was derailed to the degree that it was. Was Kevin Patullo awful? Yes, of course, but if the line was remotely as healthy as it was during the Super Bowl-winning season the year prior, the discourse around that team is way different.

There have whiffed on some players over the years, naturally, but I'm never going to be that upset if the Eagles use an early pick an offensive lineman and it doesn't totally work out. They've had bad specific evaluations at times, like the Andre Dillard misfire, but I'm always riding with that overarching organizational philosophy to build the roster from the offensive line up.

As for whether there's a replacement for when Lane Johnson finally hangs up the cleats on his Hall of Fame career, I could do the usual, cliched spiel about how it's impossible to find a player the caliber of Johnson, a premier tackle who went from a junior college quarterback to a perennial All-Pro. That's boring and even a bit annoying.

What always stood out to me about Johnson was how athletic he was, which makes sense given his time spent as a QB and then a tight end before finally converting to offensive tackle. In the MockDraftable database, Johnson's NFL Combine 40-yard dash time was the 99th percentile among OTs. His 10-yard split was in the 98th percentile. His broad jump was in the 95th percentile, too.

A first-round 2026 offensive tackle prospect who numbers in that ballpark is Georgia's Monroe Freeling. For his MockDraftable profile, Freeling's 40-yard dash is in the 95th percentile, his 10-yard split is in the 88th percentile and his broad jump is in the 95th percentile. He can move!

Maybe Freeling falls into the Eagles' lap with the 23rd pick or perhaps they have to make a small trade up for him. That'd be a win in my book. I also like Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, who could even be there if they traded back slightly. I'm mostly out on Alabama's Kadyn Proctor.

I refuse the right to take this all pro-trenches talk back if the Birds land a wide receiver early who makes the whole city excited about a revamped offense though!

Novalogic: Kind of an interesting hypothetical: What would it take for you to denounce your Eagles fandom outside of the team moving and rebranding? For example, had they traded for Deshaun Watson in 2021, I wouldn't have kept with the team.

Fascinating question!

I'm clearly sucked deeply into all of this. My personal and professional lives have both been completely intertwined for the Eagles for a while. I used to have season tickets and my life revolved around going to games with my friends and family. I was on the scene in the press box for a couple of years after that as well. Now, I'm back to being a freak on Sundays, but I still put out my thoughts on the Birds.

The mention of Deshaun Watson is relevant because I did wonder back then what I would do in 2021 and 2022 if the Eagles had traded for Watson and signed him to a massive contract extension as Cleveland did. For on-field purposes, the move had been a disaster for the Browns, but, obviously there's a lot more to it than that.

I truly don't know what I would've done if Watson came here. Rooted for him to stink so he could get out of the way sooner the way it's played out for Cleveland? What if he was good and the starter for a half-dozen years or more?

As for other reasons, it wouldn't change everything, but if their potential new stadium is built outside Philadelphia city limits, or worse, across the bridge in New Jersey, that would sting and maybe make things feel a tad less special. They'd still be the Philadelphia Eagles," but they wouldn't fully be that, right? It's why fans clown on the New York Giants for playing in East Rutherford!

Would a bad ownership situation make a difference? I'm sadly still a Sixers fan even with the state of their organization from top down, so I don't even believe that would break things off.

phillyfan: Should EDGE or safety be prioritized more in the Draft?

In a vacuum, I'm going EDGE over safety 10 times out of 10. For the Eagles' own needs, even with uncertainty at the back of the secondary, I'm still saying EDGE. That group isn't quite at a Super Bowl level right now.

KCJeremyBloom13: How would you rank the NFC East team fanbases by delusion level? Show your work

This is a goodie.

1. Dallas Cowboys: The fact that their decades-gone-by bandwagon spread across the country means that their laughable hopes for a Super Bowl in the 21st century are far reaching. That there are so many of them only makes things worse, right down to the most notable spokesperson of their fandom: Skip Bayless.
2. Eagles: The Eagles' run over the past 25-plus years makes it easier to be a wild fan because the things fans dream of frequently come to fruition, but reading just a handful of whacky social media posts or listening to a couple of radio calls will make you do a double take.
3. Washington Commanders: They got a little too chippy after their recent Mickey Mouse NFC Championship Game run, but I think they're finding their place once more among the non-elite.
4. New York Giants: I know Giants fans and they're aware that their team stinks.

Morgan: Who are some players who looked better or worse than they are because of their situations? Average RB who looked really good due to a stud OL, good WR who had a sub-par QB throwing it to him, etc.

Here are two Eagles examples that fit the exact criteria: 2022 Miles Sanders and mid-to-late 1970s Harold Carmichael before Ron Jaworski became entrenched at quarterback.

ex250Ninja: If you could A.J. Brown your A.J. Brown, how Brownily would your A.J. be Browned?

Is it June 1 yet?