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Some of the decisions the Philadelphia Eagles made over the last few months made it relatively obvious what was going to happen with A.J. Brown.
One of those decisions was drafting Makai Lemon with the 20th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Lemon, a smaller receiver from the University of Southern California, has a real opportunity to come in and make a major impact. I'm uncertain whether he's going to be one of the focal points of this offense, but there's reason to believe that he's going to be a main priority in the pass game as early as this season, and the Eagles might need him to be more than that.
While he seems like a bit of a developmental piece at times, though I did view him as one of the better receivers in this draft, it's now being stated that the Eagles didn't bring him in to develop his game.
In fact, the Eagles believe Lemon has a real opportunity to come in and make a major impact on day one.
“Nabbing Makai Lemon at 20th overall was a value pick for the Eagles, albeit in a weak draft. But he was also a little bit of a departure for the way the Eagles draft, in that he doesn't have impressive physical measurables. He is short and light with short arms and small hands. He also isn't a blazer by any stretch, as he ran a 4.50 40 at USC's pro day.
“The Eagles did not draft Lemon to develop his traits over time. They drafted him because they think he's a good football player, right now. He catches everything, he runs good routes, he gets yards after the catch, he's a fierce competitor, and he had a productive college career,” Jimmy Kempski wrote.
If there's one thing that can be said about Lemon, it's that he finds ways to make plays. There's something to be said about that in an offense, and something the Eagles will hope continues at the NFL level.
I don't want to put too much pressure on him and say that he has to be the Brown replacement, because that's unrealistic, but Philadelphia needs somebody else to step up in the pass game, and Lemon is expected to be that guy.
Continue reading...
One of those decisions was drafting Makai Lemon with the 20th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Lemon, a smaller receiver from the University of Southern California, has a real opportunity to come in and make a major impact. I'm uncertain whether he's going to be one of the focal points of this offense, but there's reason to believe that he's going to be a main priority in the pass game as early as this season, and the Eagles might need him to be more than that.
While he seems like a bit of a developmental piece at times, though I did view him as one of the better receivers in this draft, it's now being stated that the Eagles didn't bring him in to develop his game.
In fact, the Eagles believe Lemon has a real opportunity to come in and make a major impact on day one.
“Nabbing Makai Lemon at 20th overall was a value pick for the Eagles, albeit in a weak draft. But he was also a little bit of a departure for the way the Eagles draft, in that he doesn't have impressive physical measurables. He is short and light with short arms and small hands. He also isn't a blazer by any stretch, as he ran a 4.50 40 at USC's pro day.
“The Eagles did not draft Lemon to develop his traits over time. They drafted him because they think he's a good football player, right now. He catches everything, he runs good routes, he gets yards after the catch, he's a fierce competitor, and he had a productive college career,” Jimmy Kempski wrote.
If there's one thing that can be said about Lemon, it's that he finds ways to make plays. There's something to be said about that in an offense, and something the Eagles will hope continues at the NFL level.
I don't want to put too much pressure on him and say that he has to be the Brown replacement, because that's unrealistic, but Philadelphia needs somebody else to step up in the pass game, and Lemon is expected to be that guy.
Continue reading...
