Why This Howie Roseman Trend Of 1st-Round Picks Bodes Very Well For Makai Lemon's Eagles' Career

Makai Lemon hasn't had the start he wanted in his NFL career. The Philadelphia Eagles didn't envision Lemon being behind the 8-ball this soon.

Injuries have that effect. Lemon missed most of OTAs and mandatory minicamp with a hamstring injury, which affects his timing and development with Jalen Hurts and the offense.

The good news? This is only football in shells and shorts.

Lemon says he's 100% and will be ready for when the Eagles start training camp next week, which is a good sign. Even if Lemon was behind in the spring, he won't be behind for long.

There's a lot of optimism surrounding Lemon, the latest first-round pick the Eagles traded up to get. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has hit on a lot of first-round picks over the last few years, plenty of them he's traded up to get.

This is a good sign for Lemon -- who Roseman traded up from the No. 23 spot to No. 20 in order to land him. Roseman's track record for trading up in the first round has landed him premium players, even if they didn't provide immediate success.

Just look at the past six years as a reason to believe in Lemon.

Trading up with Cowboys in draft for a WR

This recent run of success started in the first round with DeVonta Smith in 2021. Roseman and the Eagles had the No. 12 spot in the draft, but traded up two spots in the draft -- with the Cowboys of all teams -- to get to No. 10 and take Smith.

Similar to Lemon right? The Eagles moved up three spots in the draft from No. 23 to No. 20 in order to select Lemon -- trading with the Cowboys again.

When the Eagles did this for Smith, the decision panned out for both them and the Cowboys. While Dallas drafted Micah Parsons, the Eagles landed a three-time 1,000-yard receiver in Smith. This is also the first year Smith is going to be a WR1 since his rookie year, and Smith is a significantly better player than the one that set the franchise receiving yards record for a rookie five years ago.

While it may take a few years for Lemon to reach his potential, hard to argue with the track record of Roseman when he trades up for a wide reciever in recnet years.

Smith turned out well.

Roseman has a track record of trading up in Round 1 to find premium players

Starting with the Smith trade in 2021, Roseman has bene aggressive in the first round and traded up to get premium talent. Roseman has had a good hit rate on first round picks regardless of he trades up or not.

Lets look at the recent instances of when Roseman has traded up in the firts round -- starting with Smith.

2021 -- Eagles trade up from No. 12 to No. 10, select DeVonta Smith

2022 -- Eagles trade up from No. 15 to No. 13, select Jordan Davis

2023 -- Eagles trade up from No. 10 to No. 9, select Jalen Carter

2025 -- Eagles trade up from No. 32 to No. 31, select Jihaad Campbell

Smith already received his contract extension from the Eagles in 2024, ditto with Davis this offseason. Neither player has made a Pro Bowl yet, but both Smith and Davis are premium players on the Eagles.

Carter was responsible for the Eagles winning a Super Bowl two years ago and is one of the best defensive tackles in the league -- already making two Pro Bowls. Campbell has only been in the league one year and has shown flashes he's going to be a good player in the league.

All four of these players are starters on one of the best rosters in the NFL. This bodes well for Lemon's future with the Eagles.

Roseman has a history of knowing players he wants in the draft and getting premium players in the first round of late. This is a reason why being skeptical of Lemon and his development is premature.

The track record speaks for itself.

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