There is an overwhelming excitement for Philadelphia Eagles rookie first-round pick Makai Lemon going into the 2026 season.
It was amazing to see Lemon drop from a potential top-10 pick to pick 20 so the Eagles could grab him, but the potential he showed on the field is even better. Inside the Birds Eagles reporter Andrew DiCecco got to see Lemon in person during rookie minicamp as he shared what he saw out of the young guy.
"Makai Lemon is a smooth operator man," DiCecco said on 97.5 The Fanatic. "Very elegant and percise in his movements. Razor sharp with his route-running. Now context is important here because they're running routes on air. At least the portion of practice that was open to us, but he stood apart and led the drills. It was presided over by wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead and he was far and away the most advanced when it came to route running aspect of the position."
Makai Lemon is going to be a special player for the Eagles
If Eagles fans didn't get to see Lemon on TV last year with their USC Trojans, they missed something special in him. He won the Fred Biletnikoff Award for being the nation's best wide receiver after catching 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Lemon was not the fastest or tallest wide receiver in the NFL Draft, but he can do everything so well. He can play bigger than his size while running all the routes that are needed for the job.
The Eagles will be lining Lemon up in the slot with DeVonta Smith on the outside on one side, and the other side will either be Dontayvion Wicks or Marquise Brown. Lemon works well in the slot since he can take on nickel corners who are not as strong in coverage and beat them with his route running.
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Eagles fans are getting increasingly excited about what they are hearing about Lemon, as he appears to be the right selection the franchise needed to replace A.J. Brown in 2026.
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