Eagles land Makai Lemon after up-tempo trade, fueling strong draft praise

The Philadelphia Eagles traded up with the Cowboys to select USC WR Makai Lemon in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. National outlets graded the pick highly, praising Lemon’s reliability, route-running, and ability to help an offense around QB Jalen Hurts, while noting size/athleticism questions. The consensus across outlets ranged from ESPN’s “Winner” to Sporting News’ A+ and The Athletic’s strong praise, with analysts calling Lemon a valuable, versatile receiving threat in Philadelphia’s plans.