One of the great success stories on the Philadelphia Eagles roster the last few years was safety Reed Blankenship, who went from an undrafted free agent in 2022 to a full-time starter, Super Bowl champion, and finally a high-priced free agent who left for a 3-year, $24.75 million contract with the Houston Texans.
Blankenship’s replacement might already be waiting in the wings.
The Eagles selected Texas Tech safety Cole Wisniewski in the 7th round (No. 244 overall) of the 2026 NFL draft, and he’s being looked at as the perfect player to step in for Blankenship.
“Former Eagles S Reed Blankenship went undrafted out of Middle Tennessee State before earning a starting spot for Philadelphia and a lucrative free-agent contract from the Texans this offseason,” Bleeding Green Nation’s Brandon Lee Gowton wrote. “The Eagles could have a similar find in Wisniewski, who plays like a linebacker in the box and is a big hitter in zone coverage. He could find ample opportunities to start with journeyman Marcus Epps and second-year player Andrew Mukuba, who still needs to prove he can stay healthy, ahead of him on the depth chart.”
Eagles Drafted Former NDSU Teammates
Wisniewski, 6-foot-3 and 219 pounds, was 1 of 2 former North Dakota State stars the Eagles drafted in 2026, along with quarterback and 5th round pick Cole Payton.
The 2 were on national championship teams at NDSU in 2021 and 2024, although Wisniewski sat out 2024 after offseason foot surgery.
After transferring to Texas Tech in 2025, Wisniewski was part of arguably the greatest team in school history, winning a Big 12 title and advancing to the College Football Playoff for the 1st time.
In his 1 season with the Red Raiders, Wisniewski had 78 tackles and 6 pass deflections.
“Big safety whose best football will be played around the line of scrimmage,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “Wisniewski is most effective as a run defender near the line, where his physicality and attention to detail as a tackler benefits him. He’s an average athlete, which shows up when he’s forced to transition laterally in coverage or shadow runners that bounce runs wide and outrace him to the corner. His coverage limitations are evident, but his size and ability to play on kick/punt cover teams give him a chance to compete for a roster spot.”
Blankenship Trashed Eagles After Leaving Town
Blankenship was a fan favorite in his 4 seasons with the Eagles after making the 53-man roster as a free agent out of Middle Tennessee State, but burned some bridges on the way out of town.
In particular, Blankenship intimated he didn’t really feel welcome in Philadelphia.
“That honestly felt like the first time in my whole career, that somebody really wanted me as a player and as a person,” Blankenship told NFL reporter Aaron Wilson.
As you can probably imagine, Philadelphia fans were left confused by Blankenship taking shots at his old team and city on his way out the door.
“Was literally a fan favorite here and we were the team to take a chance on him being a UDFA, but okay Reed,” Twitch streamer and Eagles fan Kei wrote on her official X account. “LOL.”
Eagles May Have Reed Blankenship’s Replacement in Day 3 Pick