Inside The Eagles: Howie Roseman's 'Lemon Heist'

Based on the television framing, the perception was that the Eagles snatched Lemon away from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Roseman was aiming higher than that.

Apr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Southern California Trojans receiver Makai Lemon is selected by the Philadelphia Eagles as the number 20 pick during the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - In the high-stakes theater that is the NFL Draft, few executives command centerstage quite like Eagles GM Howie Roseman. 

Roseman’s recent appearance on Mad Dog Sports Radio with Adam Schein offered a revealing peek behind the curtain of one of the 2026 draft’s most talked-about decisions: trading up to select Southern California wide receiver Makai Lemon at No. 20 overall.

Based on the television framing, the perception was that the Eagles snatched Lemon away from Pittsburgh based on the Steelers being on the phone with the prospect when Roseman pulled the trigger to move up from No. 23 and ahead of his Keystone State rival at 21.

In Roseman’s mind, the most likely candidates to take Lemon entering the draft were the Los Angeles Rams at No. 13 and the New York Jets at 16.

Once the Rams surprised the NFL world by selecting Matthew Stafford heir, Ty Simpson at 13, Roseman started thinking about moving up for Lemon, a player the Eagles believed was a top 15 option in the process.  

“If we’re being totally transparent, it wasn’t like we were just trying to get to 20,” Roseman told Schein. “We were trying to get ahead of that pick as well. Because when you feel really strongly about a player, you think that every pick he’s going.

“… And so saying that we were just willing to sit there and just get ahead of Pittsburgh, it wouldn’t be true. We were trying to get up, trying to get the player. It so happened that we got in front of them. Certainly, they were one of the teams that we thought would be in the mix.”

Multiple NFL sources pegged Nos. 15 and 16 to Eagles On SI for where Roseman started and his eye was on Lemon, and not the pre-draft favorite of an offensive tackle like Blake Miller, who went No. 17 to Detroit or Monroe Freeling at 19 to Carolina.

Tampa Bay stayed put at 15 when Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. and the New York Jets, who were in the market for a WR and eventually moved back in the first round at 30 to select Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr., decided athletic Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadir was too good to pass up.

Ultimately, jumping up three spots and getting to 20 by sending two fourth-round picks to Dallas was good enough for the Eagles to snag Lemon.

“More importantly for us than who anyone else wants, it’s who we want and who we wanna go get,” Roseman explained.

Lemon, a polished, technically sound wideout who excelled in the slot for USC with physicality, big-play ability, and reliable hands, projects as an immediate contributor in the Eagles’ offense alongside DeVonta Smith, with three-time second-team AJ Brown likely earmarked for New England post-June 1.

For an Eagles team looking to rebound from a disappointing 2025 postseason exit and reload around Jalen Hurts, adding another dynamic wideout makes sense. 

Meanwhile, Roseman’s willingness to invest draft capital signals the belief that Lemon can help elevate Sean Mannion's new offense right away.

The 2.0 version of Roseman has now consistently highlighted his belief system at the top of the draft: don’t wait for talent to fall, go get it.

Since 2021, Roseman has traded up in the first round to get Smith, Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Jihaad Campbell, and now Lemon. The Eagles’ GM has never moved down over that six-year span, and the one time he stayed put, he landed All-Pro cornerback Quinyon Mitchell in 2024.