The Philadelphia Eagles made one of the boldest moves of the 2026 NFL Draft to land wide receiver Makai Lemon, trading up to the No. 20 overall pick before the Pittsburgh Steelers could select the former USC star at No. 21.
One of the draft’s most memorable moments came when Lemon was on the phone with the Steelers, believing he was about to become Pittsburgh’s first-round selection, only to learn that the Eagles had jumped ahead to draft him instead.
Philadelphia’s aggressive move immediately raised expectations. After selecting Lemon, the Eagles felt comfortable trading A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots, placing significant pressure on the rookie to eventually help fill the void left by one of the league’s best receivers.
How has Makai Lemon performed with Eagles?
While DeVonta Smith remains the clear No. 1 receiver on the depth chart, Makai Lemon entered training camp carrying enormous expectations. So far, however, an early report from Brandon Lee Gowton suggests the rookie is still adjusting to the NFL.
“I’ve yet to see any kind of ‘wow’ factor with Lemon. He didn’t look very fast on a vertical target where the ball landed in front of him. Not sure if that incompletion was an overthrow or if he simply didn’t get to where Jalen Hurts was expecting him to be. Lemon failed to hold on to the football on a target over the middle where Andrew Mukuba bumped him from behind as he was trying to make the catch.”
Gowton also noted that the trend continued during another practice in Day 3. “It’s very early in camp, but I haven’t seen Eli Stowers or Makai Lemon do anything impressive so far.”
Even so, the Eagles are not expected to panic. They understand that Lemon is a rookie making the jump from college football, and developing chemistry with Jalen Hurts will likely take time.
Still, considering the draft capital invested to acquire him, and the decision to move on from A.J. Brown, it’s understandable why these early reports have generated concern among Eagles fans eager to see their newest offensive weapon make an immediate impact.
