Howie Roseman loves value and he showed that again with the Eagles first round pick. WR Makai Lemon was a Top 15 for the Eagles and for most people doing draft evaluations. He won the Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver in the nation and had a great season. When the Eagles saw him start to fall, they started making calls. Eventually they made a trade with Dallas and got their guy.
Lemon is 5-11, 192. He runs in the 4.45 range. Here are my raw notes on him.
Highly productive receiver. Went 79-1156-11 in 2025. Strong, physical player. Lacks ideal size and speed, but plays bigger and faster than he is. Might remind you of Amon-Ra St. Brown. Has very good hands. Made some spectacular catches. Terrific body control. Able to make catches through contact. Good RAC ability. Destined to be a slot receiver in the NFL. Does a good job of working the middle of the field so he could excel in that role.
Sean Mannion’s offensive scheme relies on yards after the catch. That has been an issue for the Eagles in recent years. Lemon can make a major impact in that area.
Makai Lemon in 2025 – only Big Ten player with 500+ YAC – No. 1 in FBS in first-down receptions (50)
Howie and Nick said that they feel Lemon can play outside or in the slot. He is a terrific route runner and understands how to get open. He’s able to create separation through his body control and quickness. I mentioned Amon-Ra St. Brown as a comparison. He also has a bit of Puka Nacua to his game. Lemon adds value as a KOR. Whether on returns or after the catch, he is great in the open field. He has excellent vision and instincts. He will run through arm tackles. He’s elusive. WR screens have been mostly awful in recent years. Lemon is very good on those and can hopefully have success on them. Lemon goes full speed when the ball is in his hands.. He is a true competitor. He referred to himself as a “dawg” and I can’t disagree.
The Eagles met him at the Combine and brought him to Philly for a visit. This is a player they did their homework on and really wanted. Howie gave up a pair of fourth round picks to go get him. That kills me, but we’ve seen time and again that top talent is what it takes to win big in this league. Lemon was my #2 receiver. I never expected him to fall to 20.
This is another sign that AJ Brown will be traded this summer. The Eagles can now line up DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks on the outside and Lemon in the slot. That’s a good trio. Drafting a WR also helps the team financially. He will cost a reasonable amount for the next five years. The team is paying big bucks to other offensive stars so they need to balance that out with some inexpensive talent.
Some people hate this pick because they think of JJAW and Jalen Reagor. JJAW was a second round pick. Reagor went 21st overall, but the consensus big board from 2020 had Reagor as the 39th overall prospect. That was a reach by the Eagles. Lemon is a completely different story. He was highly rated by everyone and is an ideal fit in the new offense. Reagor had some maturity issues. Lemon is ultra-competitive. Nick mentioned that when Lemon was a freshman he chased down a DB after an INT and made the tackle. He said it was a really impressive play that showed just how tough and competitive Lemon is.
The Eagles tried to call Lemon to tell him they were going to take him at 20. He wasn’t able to take the call because he was on the phone with the Steelers, who told him they were going to take him at 21. Philly is getting the best of Pittsburgh the last couple of weeks.
I was surprised the Eagles took Lemon because they had spent so much time on speedsters, guys who ran in the 4.3’s. Lemon plays faster than he times. Obviously they focused on the game tape, where they saw a super tough, talented receiver who can make plays. The Eagles offense just got better.
Day 2 will be interesting. The Eagles have three picks. Will they get an OT or focus on edge rushers? I’ll post a preview on Friday. For now enjoy the Eagles new offensive weapon.
The draft is upon us. This is an important draft for the Eagles as they are potentially trading AJ Brown in a few months and need some long term replacements at a few positions. Howie Roseman has the resource to be aggressive if he wants. Or he can play the board as things fall and add a slew of good players.
While this isn’t a great draft class, it actually matches up with the Eagles pretty well. They didn’t have that luck last year and the overall class was a bit underwhelming. Howie has a chance to add some key players and good depth this week.
For the first time I put together an Eagles Draft Preview in PDF form. You can download it here. This is almost 30 pages long. It covers players of interest, positional rankings, profiles for prospects who fit the Eagles, a value board and a couple of other things. I hope you like it. My apologies for the delay in getting it finished. My chemo treatment yesterday lasted much longer than anticipated so I’m a bit behind schedule. No worries. Everything went well, just not as fast as I wanted during draft week.
Now I want to talk about what I’m hoping happens this week.
The biggest priority for me is getting an OT. The Eagles need a player to replace Lane Johnson and this class has good options so you need to get one now. Let him sit and learn. Or challenge at RG.
Daniel Jeremiah posted his mock draft and had the Eagles trading to 15 to take OT Kadyn Proctor. Why 15? Had to get ahead of the Lions, who reportedly want him.
For those who wonder if Proctor is worth it, watch this and you’ll see his potential. He could be special. Could being the key word, of course.
I went into Kaydn Proctor’s tape not expecting to like it but came out pleasantly surprised
At his massive size, he’s clearly a good athlete. He moves well and has a stout base and surprisingly fluid hips which aids him well in the run game and quick passing concepts
It finally occurred to me who he reminds me of. Former Eagle Shawn Andrews. Injuried derailed his career, but when on the field he was a dominant blocker, especially in the run game. He was special. Proctor could challenge at RG this year and move to RT when Lane moves on. I can see Howie trying to pull this off. He covets players with special ability. Proctor can be special.
You will hear a lot of talk about the run on OL. There will be one. The good news is that one of the OTs should make it to 23 if Howie can’t move up. Max Iheanachor should be there.
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The next priority for me is edge rusher. This doesn’t have to be the second round pick, but that would be my preference. In a fantasy world Malachai Lawrence would drop to 54. If this was a fantasy world Kate Middleton and I would be having a tickle fight. Unfortunately we live in reality and Lawrence isn’t falling to 54. He might go late first. R Mason Thomas would be my next preference. I love his relentless style and the fact he is so aggressive, even against much bigger OTs.
The best constellation of edge rush traits – first step, bend, active hands, variation of approaches/speeds, speed-to-power, finishing. Prospect in the mold of Bruce Irvin https://t.co/FqGPCNAgTR
The Eagles brought him in for a visit so they are definitely interested. We’ll see how much they like him on Friday night. He would be the big edge that Fangio probably would love as a replacement for Jaelan Phillips.
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Those are the primary needs for me. Obviously the Eagles need to add a TE and a safety. Those are deep positions so the team has the flexibility to address them at different points. You don’t have to force a pick. The key is to find out which guys you really want and target them. Some of you really want a blocking TE. There are several available. I am open to anything, as long as the TE is a willing blocker. I can’t deal with Grant Calcaterra Jr.
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WR is a position the Eagles have done a lot of work on. They will add someone. If things go crazy with OL in the first round, the Eagles could take a receiver. I don’t see that as likely, but it is possible. There will be good options in the second and third rounds. Heck, there are some interesting guys on Day 3.
One second rounder the Eagles have shown interest in is Chris Bell.
#Louisville WR Chris Bell, a potential first-rounder before tearing his ACL in November, is running 18+ MPH and ahead of schedule in rehab, per agent @ErikBurkhardt and Dr. Dan Cooper who preformed his surgery.
He tore his ACL early enough that he could be ready this summer. He is a big receiver with great RAC ability. Bell would be a lot of fun in the new offense.
They could also go for Ted Hurst, Antonio Williams or Germie Bernard. All three are really good players. I have De’Zhaun Stribling as a third rounder, but he could sneak into the second round.
Key Day 3 targets could be Deion Burks and Bryce Lance.
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The Eagles are likely to add an OG to give depth behind Landon Dickerson. This isn’t a great class, but there are some good options in rounds 2-4. We’re all curious to see what kind of player they go after. Keylan Rutledge, Brian Parker, Gennings Dunker and Beau Stephens are some of my favorite options.
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The Eagles could add a CB, DT, or LB. They have targeted guys at all three spots. I just don’t think they are as important as other positions. But you never know when a guy you like is going to fall. If he does, you go grab him.
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So what is an ideal draft for me, but still based in reality.
Round 1: No. 23 – OT Max Iheanachor – Arizona State – 6-5, 321
Round 2: No. 54 – ED R Mason Thomas – Oklahoma – 6-2, 241
Round 3: No. 68 – TE Justin Joly – NC State – 6-4, 241
Ideally I would love for Howie to add a fourth round pick so they could take DT Kaleb Proctor if he’s there.
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All of this goes out the window if there are trades for veterans. We know the Eagles are talking to the Vikings about ED Jonathan Greenard. They will likely reach out to the Steelers about ED Alex Highsmith.
Tanner McKee could be on the move if someone makes the right offer.
Then there is this from Adam Schefter.
The Eagles’ wish list of trade candidates goes well beyond Greenard, per sources, though. Roseman almost always has a Plan A, B, C and D, and his team is one to monitor on one of the busiest weekends of the NFL calendar.
Could they make a trade for something other than an edge rusher? Could they go for a veteran safety?