You Can’t Dictate the Board — So the Eagles Went Up and Took Makai Lemon

While most will naturally link the Eagles' targeted move up for Southern California wide receiver Makai Lemon to the now-inevitable exit of A.J. Brown, business with the enemy was about securing one of the last first-round talents identified by Howie Roseman.

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 — You can’t dictate the board.

While most will naturally link the Eagles' targeted move up for Southern California wide receiver Makai Lemon to the now-inevitable exit of A.J. Brown, business with the enemy was about securing one of the last first-round talents identified by Howie Roseman and his staff in the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Eagles moved up three spots to No. 20, and secured a 2027 seventh-round pick from their NFC East rival, the Dallas Cowboys, for Nos. 23, 114 and 137 to land Lemon — a shifty, precise route-runner many have compared to Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown.

“We just felt this was a player we wanted to go up and get,” Eagles GM Howie Roseman said. “Where our board was at that time, where we were picking… it just made a lot of sense.”

At 5-foot-11 and 194 pounds with 4.50 speed, Lemon lacks elite size or top-end burst. What he offers instead is crafty route-running, physicality as a runner and at the catch point, and outstanding ball skills.

“Competitor. Has the ability to separate,” Roseman said when discussing Lemon's skill set. “In man coverage, out of the slot. He can play outside. Physical player. Really good with the ball in his hands and really good hands. Good in zone coverage. He has really good instincts.”

The Eagles had Lemon as a projected top-15 player in the draft. When he was still available at No. 20, they pounced.

“We stacked the board one through 23,” Roseman explained. “We broke that into tiers of guys we wanted and guys we felt we would trade up for. We kind of thought we had a really good sense of who the first 15 guys would be. One of those guys did not go in the first 15, and he was available to us.”

One Foot Out The Door

A.J. Brown goes through a drill during the Eagles OTAs. | Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

With the addition of Lemon, the Eagles have now brought in four wide receivers over the past month: trade acquisition Dontayvion Wicks and free-agent signings Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore.

The moves signal Roseman is preparing for life without Brown, who is expected to be traded after June 1 — with the New England Patriots viewed as a likely destination.

Philadelphia had interest in offensive tackles early in the round, but the deepest position in the draft was picked clean quickly. Utah’s Spencer Fano went No. 9 to Cleveland, the Giants took Miami’s Francis Mauigoa at No. 10, Miami selected Kaydn Proctor (believed to me the Eagles' top realistic priority) at No. 12, Detroit grabbed Clemson’s Blake Miller at 17, and Carolina took Georgia’s Monroe Freeling at 19.

Interestingly, Pittsburgh was on the phone with Lemon at No. 21 as the Eagles completed their trade-up.

“When we get on the clock we immediately try to contact the player,” Roseman said. “It took us a couple of minutes to get him on the phone. That hasn’t happened very often, so the clock got down a little lower than we would have liked. But we were able to get in touch with him and select him.”

The Steelers ultimately settled for Arizona offensive tackle Max Iheanachor at No. 21, who may have been the Eagles selection at 23 if Roseman was unable to move up.