Makai Lemon Squeezes Every Bit Of Juice Out Of Much Needed Return To Eagles Camp

PHILADELPHIA – Makai Lemon squeezed every last bit of juice out of Monday’s practice. The Eagles’ rookie receiver was a full-go in practice for the first time since August 3rd. That’s three weeks of rehab, plus those all-important mental reps. He missed opportunities to play in preseason games and two joint practices with the Patriots.

So he and Jalen Hurts spent as many extra minutes as possible in the heat and humidity after the Eagles’ 90-minute practice ended. He said he would be ready for Week 1 – “oh yeah, for sure,” was what he said - when the Eagles host the Commanders on Sept. 13. Perhaps even some reps in Friday night’s preseason finale against the Bengals at Lincoln Financial Field?

“Every time there's a game I definitely want to play, so I'm just taking it day by day out here, just putting the work in, and then we'll see how I feel Friday,” he said.

It was as disappointing to Lemon as it was to the fans not to see if he was worth the trade-up by general manager Howie Roseman to take him 20th overall out of Southern California.

“He's been really, really engaged mentally,” said Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. “That's the challenge. Any player that you're injured, you lose those physical reps, but he's done a really nice job. He's been with A-MO [Wide Receivers Coach Aaron Moorehead] and Grizz [Offensive Passing Game Coordinator Josh Grizzard] constantly.

“He's been locked in [during] all the walkthrough settings. Even when he can't get the rep, he's kind of shadowing his position on the field and staying super engaged. He's been working his way back. He's looked good and hopefully we'll see him out here in a minute.”

Easier said than done, but Lemon has had more than enough mental reps for a lifetime. Remember, he couldn’t get on the field in the spring, either, with a hamstring injury. Lemon said the hamstring was the same leg that bothered him in both spring and summer.

“I feel like you're just able to see the game from a different perspective,” he said about the mental reps. “You know, taking the mental reps is just as important as being on the field. So, making sure I was doing that over and over again, so when I step on the field, I'm ready to go, and there isn’t a far gap.”

Makai Lemon: "Super Engaged"

Added Mannion: “Mentally, he's been super engaged. I don't worry about that one bit with Makai. I know the work he's been putting in. Injuries, unfortunately, they happen in football, but he's been a total pro about his approach to rehab, his approach to the mental side of the game. The unfortunate nature of football is sometimes you might miss some time, but he's done everything in his power despite not having those physical reps to be ready for us to make an impact.”

Lemon may have been a little too amped up in the first set of 11-on-11 drills when he let a fastball from Hurts sail through his hands on a quick slant into the middle of the field. He did catch a receiver screen and turned it into positive yards later in practice.

Then there was his run blocking. He impressed Jalyx Hunt with a block that led Hunt to give Lemon a low-five.

“Whenever a receiver has to block one of us, you kind of get to test the type of person he is on the field,” said Hunt. “He didn't shy away from it. He didn't try to just get around me. He put hands on me and tried to really block me, and I respect that, and that's cool to see because his demeanor on the field is totally different than who he is.

“He’s a laid-back guy, but on the field, he's like … just a different energy, a different monster type thing. It was just cool seeing that.”

Asked about his run blocking, Lemon said: “This a man's game, you know? You put the pads on for a reason, so, you know, to get out there, um, you know, get a little hit on him, you know, that feel good. You know, we both working on both sides of the ball.”

Lemon needs to continue to work. Stack days, is what the players say, if he wants to make and impact once the season begins.

“I feel pretty confident,” he said about his injury not recurring, “just learning from my mistakes from previous times, working with the trainers, setting a good plan for me. Just being a professional off the field, so if things like this come about, I'm ready for everything.”

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