Makai Lemon was selected as the 20th overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2026 NFL Draft, signaling a new direction for the team. The Rams surprised many by drafting Ty Simpson, while the Cowboys' selection of Caleb Downs has fans excited about their future.
***RJ:*** One of the biggest stories of the NFL offseason has been that the Philadelphia Eagles are going to trade AJ Brown. It has reached the point where several outlets refer to it as inevitable and discuss it in that manner. As inevitable as it may be, to date there has been no hard or concrete proof of this becoming a potential reality. This certainly changed during the first round when Philly moved up to draft USC wideout Makai Lemon. It seems like the dawn of a new future for the Eagles offense has officially begun. You can argue that nobody signaled more about their future than the Eagles did in this respect. Maybe the Rams with Ty Simpson, but that’s about it. ***Michael:*** The Rams using a first-round pick on Ty Simpson was certainly a surprise to me. He may have been the second-best quarterback in this class but it was also a very weak quarterback class altogether. I mean, they needed to go all-in for one more season if 2026 really is ’s last ride before retiring. Instead, they drafted his replacement and used the rest of the picks on players I do not see making much of an impact this coming season. It was a really weird year for the Rams when they’re normally pretty savvy about their selections year-in and year-out.
Makai Lemon from USC was the 20th overall pick, selected by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Makai Lemon's selection indicates a potential shift in the Eagles' offensive strategy, especially with rumors of trading AJ Brown.
The Los Angeles Rams drafted Ty Simpson, marking a surprising choice in a weak quarterback class.
Fans are excited about Caleb Downs because he is viewed as a defensive superstar and a perfect fit for the Cowboys' new defensive strategy.
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***Michael:*** The Chargers needed to address their offensive guard spots in this draft and there was a lot of hope that they’d be able to land one of several impact guards either on Day 1 or 2. Instead, the Cardinals took my favorite guard prospect in Texas A&M’s Chase Bisontis very early on Day 2 before the Chargers ever got close to picking. The Bolts traded back and took Florida center Jake Slaughter, who never spent a snap at guard in college. I don’t know how that solves the big issue for LA but it was very tough to see Bisontis go so early when I had convinced myself he could have been in play at No. 55. ***RJ:*** THE DALLAS COWBOYS DRAFTED CALEB DOWNS AND I AM STILL LEVITATING. Everything about the Cowboys drafting Caleb Downs is going to have me soaring until further notice. He is a defensive superstar, a perfect prospect in every sense, and he has all the makings of being the ambassador for the team that Dak Prescott is. That is high-level company. What’s more is that Downs is a defensive back and the Cowboys just hired someone who is wizard in that space to run their defense in Christian Parker. This is like in Harry Potter when the wizards would go into Olivander’s and get a wand that was perfectly suited to who they were, what made them unique, so on and so forth. This is magical in every way.
***RJ:*** It feels strange to not have a new crop of franchise quarterbacks hanging out around the league following the draft. Only the Las Vegas Raiders fit the bill with Fernando Mendoza. This feels like new life for the Raiders, one that they sorely needed. I can very much believe that they are no longer fully in the cellar, even if it is going to take some time to get up to the penthouse. ***Michael:*** One team that may finally surprise and perform better over their expectations thanks to their 2026 draft class is the New York Jets. They grabbed four starters with their first four draft picks (three in the first round) and they’re all at important positions on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. If Geno Smith truly becomes a blunder again, it all won’t matter, but the Jets did what they needed to make the team around him as talented as possible with what resources they had.
***RJ:*** My cousin and I share a Madden franchise where we each run a different team. We have certain rules because of how we are with one another, but this is the general premise that matters for this discussion. Often time my cousin and I will start over following the actual NFL Draft and we will use rosters that awesome people on the internet have outfitted with the new rookies. It is always fun for him and I to discuss which teams are best to take over following the draft for Madden purposes. The answer to this question depends on how someone likes to play Madden. If you are someone who wants an awesome team that got its final piece, then maybe you feel like the Eagles make sense. Perhaps you want to be the Rams and trade away Matthew Stafford. You can argue that the Texans roster picked up some dudes. For me, I like the idea of taking over the Titans. I have all of these young pieces on offense and a chance to really make the team in my own image. Carnell Tate will be a ton of fun, I imagine a popular pick in dynasty leagues as well, and as I’m thinking this out loud the New Orleans Saints with Jordyn Tyson make sense, too. **Michael:** I like the idea of taking over a team with young and exciting players at several important positions to use in Madden. If the quarterback is ho-hum, you need elite weapons – or at least elite in certain stats like Speed – to make up for it with your own schemes and play designs. If I were to start a new Madden franchise, I’d probably go with the New York Jets because they just drafted uber-athletic tight end Kenyon Sadiq and pass rusher David Bailey. Those are two players you could utilize from the start to help make your team great. Sadiq provides a very fast option at a position that’s easy to scheme open on offense and Bailey gives your defense a notable pass rush monster who can go to work while you “user” linebacker Demario Davis behind him. Seems like a very solid foundation to start with that should only get better with each year.