Now that the 2026 NFL Draft is done, it’s time for some film rooms on the Philadelphia Eagles’ rookie class. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be publishing individual film breakdowns on the Eagles’ 2026 draft class here at Bleeding Green Nation. My pre-draft rankings and position previews are still up if you want to cross-reference. A quick note on the film: I can’t share All-22 footage here without risking content strikes, so I’ll use clips from other accounts below. However, I’ll have full All-22 breakdowns available
on my Patreon, which you can check out and support if you want to see full games of All-22. Let’s go!
Makai Lemon
I guess we have to just mention the obvious. For the purpose of this article, I will be assuming that A.J. Brown will be traded after June 1 for salary cap implications. The Eagles started the 2026 NFL Draft by trading up to pick 20 and selecting Makai Lemon, who was a top-15 player on nearly every consensus board I have seen. I will get into my pre-draft ranking at the end, but I had him as my WR2, and I didn’t think we would have a chance at getting Lemon. So I was very happy!
Strengths
Route Running
If you watch one thing in Lemon’s film, watch his route running and his fluidity. He glides around the field. His angle cuts coming out of breaks are sharp and crisp, and he is an extremely fluid mover. He understands how to set up defenders with his stem, particularly on hitches and curls (sorry, Eagles fans) where his snap-back is extraordinary. He also maintains his speed during his breaks, which is the sign of a great route runner. However, I think when you think of route running, you think of a receiver who destroys man coverage and defeats press. But the modern NFL doesn’t play as much traditional man as it used to. We are living in a different world, and I think Lemon fits it perfectly. He doesn’t separate like you would expect a 1st round talent to do so.
His zone recognition is where he is at his best. It is outstanding. It reflects an understanding of coverage structure that you do not see in all college receivers. Lemon has explained in interviews that his time as a defensive back gave him an inside view of how safeties and corners read routes, and you can see it in how he plays. He sits down in zone windows with purpose and always gives his quarterback an option. He understands defensive backs’ leverage and where blind spots will be. He is a very quarterback-friendly option. However, because he doesn’t always create a huge amount of separation, he requires a quarterback to trust him and throw him open when he finds a void in the zone. Jalen Hurts will have to adjust to how he plays.
Yards After Catch and Open-Field Running
Lemon was the only Big Ten player with more than 500 yards after the catch in 2025. What makes him dangerous after the catch is not pure speed (he only ran a 4.46 40 at his pro-day), but his combination of suddenness, RB-like vision in the open field, and a physical approach to contact makes him incredibly effective after the catch. Some of his plays after the catch are so impressive. When he catches, he doesn’t just run down the field aimlessly. He reads his blockers, identifies pursuit angles, and makes smart decisions in the open field.
His transitions from catch to run are fluid in a way that distinguishes him from most slot receivers. He does not slow down to secure the football. His hands are so good that he can catch a difficult pass, immediately break a tackle, often spinning into a run, and his low center of gravity keeps him stable through contact. He’s not the biggest, but he can absorb hits. He matches the physicality of defensive backs through the catch point, and he does not go down easily after it. The Eagles have not had a receiver with this skill set for years. The offense has been very vertical for years, but Lemon excels horizontally and on crossing routes.
Reliability and Catch Radius
Lemon caught nearly everything thrown his way in college and made some outstanding catches. He tracks the ball exceptionally well. He is far better in contested situations than you would think of from a classic ’slot receiver’. He catches from awkward body angles comfortably, twisting and adjusting without losing grip, and he plucks the ball out of the air from outside his frame regularly. He’s excellent when diving for the football, too, and he tracks the ball down the field very well. He’s the kind of receiver that a quarterback will trust over the middle of the field. Although he isn’t big, he catches the ball in such a way that he often avoids big hits from defensive backs by getting his body down quickly after making the catch. He shows real nuance in everything that he does, including catching the football.
Competitiveness and Blocking Effort
His physicality and competitiveness come through in everything. He takes blocking responsibilities seriously enough to fit up linebackers in the run game, and although his technique has limitations, he will always give his all. Some of the Eagles’ receivers could learn a thing or two from watching his effort…
Weaknesses
Size and Physical Limitations
Lemon is 5’11” and 192 pounds with hands in the 9th percentile and a wingspan in the 16th percentile. Against the size and athleticism of NFL cornerbacks, the questions that were manageable in college become challenges if he is asked to line up or outside of face press coverage. Bigger, longer corners who can get their hands on him at the line and disrupt his release timing will cause problems in a way that college defensive backs could not. His ability to navigate around physical defenders at the line will be tested early and often.
I went back and watched some 2024 film on Lemon, and I think he was better outside against more physical cornerbacks than he was this past year. I’m not exactly sure why that is, but I do think it’s something he needs to keep working on.
Deep Routes
Lemon is quick and fluid rather than fast, sudden rather than explosive. He does not have the secondary burst or pull-away gear that allows true deep threats to separate from corner coverage on vertical routes. Split-safety coverages that can take away his intermediate routes and force him to threaten deep will give him problems if the offense is not providing answers through the scheme. The Eagles’ offense will need to create deep opportunities through design, using motion, misdirection, and coverage manipulation, rather than asking him to beat a corner in a straight line.
Blocking
There is no question about his willingness to block. But his size and underdeveloped blocking mechanics mean he will struggle to hold up consistently against NFL linebackers and defensive ends if asked to block in condensed formations or tight to the line. For an offense that I expect will ask its wide receivers to hold up blocks in the run game, this is an area of development that is required.
The Film
Overall Assessment and Fit With the Eagles
Makai Lemon is an excellent football player. He’s a player who already understands how to play the position at a level that explains why he should have been a top-15 pick. The Amon-Ra St. Brown comparisons are not lazy shorthand; they reflect a specific slot receiver archetype that wins through precision, intelligence, and competitive relentlessness rather than overwhelming physical tools. In short, he is an incredibly fluid athlete who wins with route-running precision, excellent hands, and an ability to create after the catch.
What makes him particularly interesting as an Eagle is how precisely he addresses what this offense has been missing. Jalen Hurts has historically been reluctant to work the middle of the field and doesn’t throw a ton of short routes that give receivers opportunities to create yards after the catch (largely because of personnel issues and design issues). Lemon is at his absolute best in the middle of the field. The quick-game concepts, the condensed formations, and the pre-snap motion that creates space are what the Eagles’ offense will need to run to get Lemon the targets he thrives on, and they are also the schematic evolution that offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s system naturally points toward. Lemon will hopefully be the player who forces the offense to become something better than it has been in recent years. You can’t just line him up out wide and expect him to win like A.J. Brown could. That’s not his game.
The YAC potential is the single most exciting thing for an Eagles offense that has lacked a true YAC receiver for years. Giving Hurts easy completions on drag routes, flat routes, and quick slants that can turn into 15-yard gains through Lemon’s open-field ability is exactly the kind of receiver I wanted the Eagles to add. I’ve wanted this profile for years. If you deploy him correctly, which I think should be predominantly from the slot, with scheme doing some of the work to create separation, then you have a polished, intelligent, fiercely competitive receiver. Playing more on the outside is not out of the question either, as he develops further. But I would start with him inside.
Pre-draft, this player was my WR2. He carried a first-round grade. He was a top-15 prospect on my overall board, and my pre-draft Eagles analysis was pretty straightforward: “I doubt he makes it to 32, but obviously, yes — regardless of the A.J. Brown situation.” There are some things to develop, limitations to manage, and a scheme adaptation required from the offense. None of that changes my thought that this is an excellent pick, and the Eagles got a player who should be a significant contributor from day one.
The A.J. Brown era at this franchise was outstanding. On his day, A.J. was the best receiver I’ve had the pleasure of studying over the past decade. What comes next with Makai Lemon will look very different. But it does not have to look worse.
Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you enjoyed this piece, you can find more of my work and podcast here. If you would like to support me further, please check out my Patreon here!
