Eagles Trade Up and Select Makai Lemon With 20th Pick In 2026 NFL Draft
Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) celebrates after catching a 32-yard touchdown pass against the UCLA Bruins in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Eagles may have found their A.J. Brown replacement.
With the 20th selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles have selected Makai Lemon, a wide receiver out of the University of Southern California.
Philadelphia moved up three spots in the draft, trading in the division with the Dallas Cowboys, sending pick 23, two fourth-round picks (114 and 137), and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Cowboys for the 20th pick. The Eagles jumped the Steelers, who were picking 21st, who were also in the market for a wide receiver.
Lemon is coming off an outstanding 2025 with the USC Trojans, earning the Fred Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s top receiver and being named a Unanimous All-American. In 12 games last season, Lemon grabbed 79 receptions for 1156 yards and 11 touchdowns. During his three years of college ball, Lemon totaled 137 receptions, 2008 yards, and 14 touchdowns.
Some will call the Eagles getting Lemon a pick 20 a steal, and that may seem like the truth, as many had the receiver ranked as the No. 1 overall wide receiver in the whole draft. While he only stands at 5’11, Lemon is a master in the slot, barring comparisons to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who similarly went to USC.
It’s a huge shocker for some, who felt the Eagles’ wide receiver room was already locked up with DeVonta Smith and Brown leading the group, trading for Dontayvion Wicks earlier this month, and signing Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore in free agency.
However, this pick tells you that Brown has likely played his last down with the Eagles, as all offseason rumors of him being traded to the New England Patriots have surfaced on the internet, with a move likely to happen after June 1st. Waiting to trade Brown until after June 1 will provide the Eagles with better cap situations, as they will have to eat some of the dead cap money on Brown’s deal.
Brown has stated his frustrations with the Eagles’ offense since the middle of last season, and it will likely be the reason that he will no longer be an Eagle come June.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
Get New Articles Emailed Right To Your Inbox:
