Mentality And Heart Have Helped Eagles' First-Round Pick Overcome Obstacles

PHILADELPHIA – Makai Lemon’s last name is not conducive to positive connotations, unless your over 21 and partial to Lemon Drop shots, or a teenager fond of Lemonhead candy. Usually, a lemon is something sour or a bad automobile purchase.

The receiver the Eagles moved up three spots to take at No. 20 overall on Thursday night could end being a very sweet pick, certainly not the lemon that was Jalen Reagor when the Eagles picked him in the first round six years ago.

Granted, Reagor set a low bar, playing only 28 games in his two years with the Eagles and catching just 64 passes.

Lemon might have 64 catches as a rookie. He’s that good. There doesn’t seem to be any special trait he possesses – not size (he’s 5-11) or speed (he was clocked in the 4-8-5.3 range at USC’s pro day in March).

“It’s just the mentality and the heart you play with,” said Lemon, when he was introduced to the media on Friday evening. “The body type, you can get fooled by that, but your heart and the mentality that you approach the game can take you a lot further than just your height and size.

“…Nothing was given to me, so just keeping my head down, working hard. I had to push through all the trials and tribulations that I had to make me the person and player I am today.”

Long List Of Things To Like About Makai Lemon

What Lemon has are great hands, toughness, passion for the game … well, it’s a long list, one filled with intangibles.

“There’s a lot to like about him,” said general manager Howie Roseman. “Competitor. Has the ability to separate in man coverage out of the slot. He can play outside. Physical. Really good with the ball in his hands, really good hands, good in zone coverage, has really good instincts.”

Head coach Nick Sirianni chimed in: “Howie mentioned his ability to separate, Insane ability to catch the ball in contested situations. I love his toughness. I think this guy is a tough, tough football player with the way he carries the football when he has the football in his hands and how he blocks. Insanely competitive, so there’s a lot to like. I’m really excited that he’s added to our roster.”

You hope his mindset won’t allow him to put too much pressure on himself trying to be the next A.J. Brown or buying into what Dan Orlovsky said about him being similar to the Rams’ Puka Nacua and being used all over the formation. Also, Daniel Jeremiah had him ranked as his 12th best prospect in the draft.

Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award last year at USC, after a season that saw him catch 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also averaged 18 yards on eight punt returns and 27.1 yards on 12 punt returns in 2024.

His new teammate, DeVonta Smith, also won the Biletnikoff Award back in 2020. Smith also won the Heisman, and he has been everything the Eagles could have wanted when they traded up two spots to get him in 2021.

Smith and Lemon are the Eagles’ present and future at the position.

“I feel like we complement each other well,” said Lemon. “He can do a little bit of everything. So, I can lean on my game, my versatility, inside, outside, whatever they need me to do, blocking. I feel like it’s going to fit me well.”

The Eagles have reinvented the receiver room for first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, with a trade for Dontayvion Wicks, who has a two-year deal, and one-year signings of Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore sprinkled in with holdovers Darius Cooper, Johnny Wilson, and Britain Covey.

There will be competition. Lots of competition.

“It’s a winning program, so I’m excited for that and to add the mentality I have to this whole team to the type of mentality they have in playing for one another, and being selfless,” said Lemon. “If I add that to the offense, it’s only going to make the team better.”

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