Projection Wins The Day: Rookie Makai Lemon Finishes No. 23 On Top Eagles List

Much is expected of the young receiver, who will try to help Philadelphia replace A.J. Brown moving forward.

Makai Lemon met the Eagles media corps a day after being picked 20th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. | Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

PHILADELPHIA - Projection won the day at No. 23 on our annual top 25 best current Eagles entering the 2026 season.

Rookie first-round pick Makai Lemon starts his Philadelphia career by placing immediately as the Southern California slot star embarks on a career in which much will be expected in the wake of the organization dealing A.J. Brown, a typical staple at the top of this list, to New England. 

Lemon finished on the list thanks to the votes of Philadelphia Eagles On SI staff members Jeff Kerr and Ed Kracz. John McMullen left Lemon off his list based on wanting to see how the Long Beach native performs first.

Lemon was No. 23 on Kerr’s list and was ranked No. 21 by Kracz.

It would be a disappointment if Lemon was not much higher on this list entering the 2027 campaign.

For now, the rookie and trade pickup Dontayvion Wicks are expected to be the key members of the receiving corps in support of WR1 DeVonta Smith.

Selected 20th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft after the Eagles traded up three spots to get him, Lemon arrives on the East Coast with significant hype following a solid college career with the Trojans. 

At 5-foot-11 and 192 pounds, Lemon is expected to inject speed, playmaking ability, and reliability into Sean Mannion’s new offense from Day 1.

Once a five-star high school recruit, Lemon finished his college career with 79 receptions for 1,156 yards and 13 touchdowns (11 receiving and two running), production that earned Lemon the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top wide receiver.

While Lemon spent the majority of his college snaps in the slot, he has shown the versatility to align inside or outside, with scouts focusing on his strong hands, body control in traffic, and yards-after-catch ability. 

Slow Start

Eagles WR Makai Lemon at minicamp. | John McMullen/Eagles On SI

Things started slowly in the spring with a right hamstring injury limiting Lemon to mental reps for most of the offseason practices.

However, both Mannion and head coach Nick Sirianni have praised Lemon’s pro-ready traits, attention to detail, and natural competitiveness. 

“Makai's been a lot of fun to work with,” Mannion said earlier in the spring before the injury. “I'm really excited to bring him on board and I think the way he works at practice is really impressive. He's a tremendous young talent, but even just out at practice, you can see he practices really hard. He studies hard. He really takes a ton of pride in all the little details and that's a sign of a true pro and he's just getting started on that journey. 

“With his degree of talent and the way he's been working, I really think he's going to do a lot of great stuff for us now and in the future. His development's going to be great, but really excited about him. All the things we saw at USC, catches the ball really well, good after the catch, plays with toughness.”