MakaiLemon

News: 5 hours agoLemon appears unlikely to start for the Eagles early in the season while he's missed time in the spring and during training camp due to a lingering hamstring injury, Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com reports.

Spin: Selected with the 20th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, Lemon was expected to be an immediate contributor for the Eagles following a dazzling final season at USC in which he took home the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver. Unfortunately for the 5-foot-11, 192-pound wideout, he's had few opportunities thus far with the Eagles to showcase his skills, as he's taken limited reps even on the days that the hamstring issue hasn't kept him off the practice field. Lemon still has time to get healthy and make a case for earning a sizable role Week 1, but at this stage of camp, offseason pickup Dontayvion Wicks may have the early edge on opening the season as the Eagles' No. 2 wideout behind DeVonta Smith.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Lemon was selected by the Eagles with the 20th overall pick of April's draft. Lemon is on the small side (5-foot-11, 192 pounds), but he posted a 3.04 YPRR (best in this rookie class) during his collegiate career, dropping only three of 190 career targets (his 1.6% drop rate also paced this class). Lemon, who aligned in the slot on 74% of his collegiate routes, posted a dominant 79-1,156-11 receiving line in 2025, while also contributing as a rusher (two TDs) and returner. With A.J. Brown now in New England, Lemon is likely to open his career as a starter opposite DeVonta Smith. Lemon's skill set provides him with upside, but with plenty of mouths to feed in Philly's low-volume pass offense, he's best valued as a flex option in 2026.