The Philadelphia Eagles traded up to get their man, moving up three spots in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to select USC WR Makai Lemon at No. 20 overall.
In the trade, the Eagles sent their No. 23 pick, as well as Nos. 114 and 137 in Round 4, to Dallas for No. 20 overall and a 2027 seventh-round pick.
Lemon was the Biletnikoff Award Winner as the Most Outstanding Wide Receiver in FBS, and was a Unanimous All-American off a year where he had 79 catches for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns, adding two more scores on the ground as well as a passing TD.
Has the Eagles offense officially moved to scheme over everything? Joe, Ike, Hugh, and ESP react to the Birds trading up to take WR Makai Lemon at No. 20.
Presented by @libertymutual pic.twitter.com/uc6c2Sq5it
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) April 24, 2026
The trade leaves the Eagles with five more selections: No. 54 in Round 2, Nos. 68 and 98 in Round 3, No. 178 in Round 5, and No. 197 in Round 6.
Here is Lemon’s scouting report from NFL Draft & Combine’s capsules:
High-skill, high-volume slot receiver with average size but extraordinary ball skills. Lemon has room for refinement, but not much. He’s intelligent, confident and polished with the ability to make plays on all three levels. Tempo-driven route-runner who misdirects man coverage and separates out of turns but is fairly average after the catch. Quicker than fast, featuring early acceleration to open seam throws but flashes late burst when needed. More play strength is needed for NFL press and he needs to avoid rushing through multi-breaking routes. He’s an exceptional ball-tracker with excellent catch timing and few focus drops. He wins more combat catches than he loses. Lemon is a plug-and-play, quarterback-friendly talent with first-round value and Pro Bowl upside.
