Makai Lemon Selected by the Eagles to Replace A.J. Brown

By Shane Hallam | Updated on Fri, Apr 24 2026 2:23 AM UTC

The Philadelphia Eagles selected USC WR Makai Lemon with the 20th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Lemon looks like one of the safest prospects in the draft. The film, production, and metrics all suggest he’s an NFL-ready receiver with early-impact potential. The 2025 season erased any remaining doubt. Lemon earned unanimous first-team All-America honors and claimed the Biletnikoff Award as the top FBS receiver after leading all Power Four WRs with 1,156 regular-season yards. He added a massive 3.13 yards per route run, tying him for fourth among 105 WRs with at least 80 targets.

What They're Saying

Draft Sharks Rookie Guide: “Lemon projects as a high-volume slot weapon at the next level after running 76% of his routes from that position at USC. He wins with precise routes, elite hands, and advanced coverage awareness rather than size.”

2026 Fantasy Football Impact

With rumors of A.J. Brown being traded after June 1st, the Eagles draft his potential replacement in Lemon.

Lemon figures to play mainly out of the slot, though he flashed some outside ability in his final season in college. The Biletnikoff winner offers an option opposite of WR Devonta Smith.

Assuming a Brown trade, Lemon could be a potential WR4 for fantasy this season. The Eagles lean on the run with Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts does create volatility for Lemon's redraft value.

The eagles ranked 23rd last season with a 52% pass rate.

He certainly shouldn't be relied upon, but can be an upside bench option.

Dynasty Impact

Lemon's dynasty outlook appears to be much better. With little WR depth behind Smith and Lemon, he should command a solid target share.

His skill set is that of a tough over-the-middle receiver with after-the-catch wiggle. That should offer enough upside that Lemon could turn into a consistent WR2 despite being paired with Smith.

If the Eagles start to throw the ball more, Lemon's dynasty value could continue to tick up over the next year or two.

He should sit around the 1.04 in 1-QB drafts and a mid-first round pick in Superflex leagues.

Learn more about Makai Lemon’s Dynasty Value

Shane Hallam, Writer

Shane has over 20 years of experience creating content and playing every fantasy football format, including redraft, dynasty, devy, C2C, IDP, CFF, and more. He is a multi-year winner of $500 dynasty leagues on the FFPC and a King's Classic Champion. Shane utilizes deep film and scheme study to enhance his fantasy performance. He led the industry in 2024 preseason Kicker Rankings and ranked second in preseason QB Rankings. He also ranked eighth in preseason IDP rankings.