Philadelphia Eagles rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon carries big expectations as the inevitable replacement for A.J. Brown, with many wondering what impact he could have in the slot in his first season in the NFL.
ESPN senior NFL writer Mike Clay shared which rookies will be the top four or five at some of the major statistical categories. Lemon made the top five in receiving yards (third with a projected 883) and touchdowns from scrimmage (tied for third with a projected five).
"The outlook for receivers selected from pick No. 20 through the third round is solid but unspectacular. Since 2012, there are 155 WRs in that range who played at least one snap as a rookie. Of that group, 23 (14.8%) reached 800 receiving yards, and 23 hit seven receiving touchdowns. Lemon and the Browns' duo (Concepcion and Denzel Boston) have a path to substantial Year 1 workloads, but expectations should be kept in check."
Makai Lemon is expected to have one of the best rookie seasons in 2026
The kind of numbers that Lemon is projected to have would be a dream season for the Eagles. Most likely, the 883 yards would probably be second on the team behind DeVonta Smith, who should have a career season and get over 1,000 yards. Those five touchdowns should fall in second or third as Smith again should lead, but tight end Dallas Goedert will be up there as well.
There's going to be a lot of attention on Smith in the passing game now that Brown is out of the picture. That should leave Lemon with plenty of opportunities to create some big plays in the passing game.
At the same time, Lemon's stats might get affected by new acquisitions like Marquise Brown, Dontayvion Wicks, and Elijah Moore, who are all also expected to have big contributions in the passing game. Don't forget rookie second-round pick Eli Stowers, who should have an impact as well.
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Expectations have certainly been set for Lemon to make an impact. It'll be a matter of whether he can gain Eagles star quarterback Jalen Hurts' confidence early in the year to get those targets.
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