Eagles take USC wide receiver Makai Lemon in the first round of NFL Draft: Five thoughts on the pick
USC receiver Makai Lemon is selected by the Philadelphia Eagles as the number 20 pick during the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The Eagles moved up three spots in the NFL Draft to select USC wide receiver Makai Lemon with the 20th overall pick in the first round. The trade with the Dallas Cowboys cost the team two fourth-round picks (No.
114 and 137) to go from No. 23 to 20 while also netting them a 2027 seventh-round pick. Here are five takeaways from the surprise move: 1.
The Eagles are betting big that Lemon can be the catalyst for a new nucleus of offensive talent. Going into the first round, I suspected the Eagles’ “Plan A” would be to add a potential blue chip player to the depth chart at offensive tackle. Plan B and C were still quite clear: Add an infusion of youth at other offensive positions in an effort to counterbalance the onslaught of contract extensions coming down the pike for the team’s collection of young defensive drafted in the last few offseasons.
As Kadyn Proctor and Monroe Freeling went off the board at No. 12 and No. 19, respectively, the early run on offensive line left the Eagles without the Lane Johnson successor they’ve sought for the last few seasons.
And as the Eagles’ trade-up range arrived, Lemon was the final player on the Eagles’ board remaining from their top 15 prospects they would have beeen willing to trade up for according to general manager Howie Roseman. “We stacked the board 1 through 23. … We broke that 1 through 23 into tiers of guys that we felt we would trade up for.
Continue to the original source for the full article.