How Makai Lemon, Eli Stowers will impact Jalen Hurts’ game in 2026

After investing heavily on the defensive side of the ball over the past few seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles went all in on offense in the 2026 NFL Draft, using their first five picks on offensive players.

While this is obviously good news for the Eagles and specifically their franchise quarterback, Jalen Hurts, the players Howie Roseman selected in particular did raise a few eyebrows, as his top two selections, Makai Lemon and Eli Stowers, are widely considered middle-of-the-field specialists, where QB1 fears to tread.

Discussing how the additions of Lemon and Stowers could impact the Birds moving forward, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky noted that, in his opinion, these moves signify a changing of the guard in the City of Brotherly Love, with Sean Manion forcing his team to

“It’s the dawn of a new era offensively in Philadelphia. I mean, Jalen Hurts will have no choice but to throw the ball over the middle of the field and get comfortable doing it. I think not only the Makai Lemon selection, but to your point, Stowers, indicates that Sean Mannion play call. I mean, if we look at Jalen Hurts over the past couple of years, he’s the least thrower of the football over the middle of the field. 38 percent of his passes go over the middle of the field. The next closest is Bryce Young, and he’s six percent higher,” Orlovsky said.

“So I love the selections. I do. I think the players are really nice players. Makai Lemon, huge fan. Stowers, love him. The ex-quarterback element. I do find it very interesting that in Philadelphia, they hire an offensive coordinator that at to its core, the three things that he does are the things that the quarterback doesn’t do or do well. And their first two selections are guys that wear out the area of the field that he just doesn’t distribute the ball to. It’s a new era. And I think his hand is going to be forced getting comfortable with it.”

Why have the Eagles targeted the middle of the field less than almost every other team in the NFL over the past few seasons? Is it because Hurts is of shorter stature and struggles to see over the Eagles’ line? Or did the Eagles’ various offensive coordinators under Nick Sirianni stick too close to the go-comeback-out route formula Philly’s head coach has made a staple of his overall gameplan? While it’s hard to say, it’s clear the Eagles are changing their offensive strategy with the additions of Lemon and Stowers, and how well Hurts can adapt to it will define their ceiling moving forward.

"Jalen Hurts will have no choice but to throw the ball over the middle. … It's a new era, and I think his hand is going to be forced getting comfortable with it."

—@danorlovsky7 on Jalen Hurts and the Eagles following the NFL draft pic.twitter.com/rR0m4pzzes

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) April 27, 2026

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