Eagles draft buzz: Senior Bowl MVP emerges as first-round option

With the Senior Bowl in the rearview mirror, NFL draft season is officially here — and the Philadelphia Eagles will be on the clock soon enough.

The Eagles were well-represented last week at the Senior Bowl, where 100-plus of the top prospects in the 2026 class competed in front of NFL coaches and scouts.

PennLive was in Mobile, Ala., too, watching all three days of practice and interviewing many of those prospects.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’re rolling out a series of stories on players we spoke to at the Senior Bowl who would make sense for the Eagles in the 2026 NFL draft.

Whether or not the Eagles will re-sign edge rusher Jaelan Phillips to a contract extension is one of the biggest question marks of the offseason. Doing so would make sense; the 26-year-old trade deadline acquisition was a productive piece of one of the NFL’s top defenses.

But if the Eagles don’t re-sign Phillips, they could always look to draft his replacement — and more specifically, someone who has already been compared to Phillips.

Missouri edge rusher Zion Young was one of the brightest stars at the Senior Bowl. Throughout the week of practice, the first-team All-SEC honoree stood out in one-on-one drills and team sessions. And in the actual game, he came away with Defensive MVP honors.

NFL scouts, executives and coaches — including Eagles defensive line coach Clint Hurtt, who was the National team’s head coach — saw in Mobile, Ala., what Young has to offer.

“I’m physical, violent and explosive,” Young told PennLive. “But I’ve got way more room for improvement. Out here, I’m working on getting better and improving.”

Well, Young improved his draft stock quite a bit at Hancock Whitney Stadium.

Entering Senior Bowl week, Young was viewed as a second-round option for the Eagles at No. 54 overall. Now, he’s rising up toward the back-end of the first round.

In a mock draft earlier this week, ESPN’s Matt Miller projected Young to land with the Chicago Bears at No. 25 overall. The Eagles, of course, are picking at No. 23 in the first round.

Young was the sixth edge rusher off the board in Miller’s mock, yet another sign that this an exceptionally deep edge rusher class.

Ohio State’s Arvell Reese, Miami’s Rueben Bain and Texas Tech’s David Bailey are all viewed as top-10 picks. Clemson’s T.J. Parker, Auburn’s Keldrick Faulk, Texas Tech’s Romello Height, Miami’s Akheem Mesidor, Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell, Alabama’s LT Overton, and Oklahoma’s R Mason Thomas could all land in the late first or second round.

Young is in that second group, which makes him a realistic target for Howie Roseman and Philadelphia’s brass at either No. 23 or No. 54 overall.

Young said he spoke with the Eagles “a little bit” at the Senior Bowl. Prospects typically have more in-depth conversations with teams at the NFL Scouting Combine, so more interest could follow later this month in Indianapolis.

But with the pre-draft process just getting started, there’s a lot to like about Young.

The Michigan State transfer had a strong final season at Missouri with 16 1/2 TFLs. His PFF run-defense grade ranked ninth out of 170 FBS edge rushers with at least 250 snaps. His 17.3% pass-rush win rate ranked among the best in the SEC. And he has some size to him, measuring at 6-foot-5, 262 pounds.

For those curious, Phillips stands at 6-foot-5, 266 pounds. So the comparison makes sense.

We’ll see if the Eagles end up taking more of an interest in Young over the coming months. But his teammate, Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan, knows better than anyone what Young could bring to Philadelphia’s defense.

“It’s all about his energy,” McClellan told PennLive. “We call him a spark plug. He’s someone who gets the whole team going. It’s just how hard he goes. Practice, games, walk-throughs, whatever. He goes hard. That’s what makes him special.”

SENIOR BOWL SERIES SO FAR

Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame

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