The Philadelphia receiving corps will look different this season, as the Eagles added potentially their new No. 1 weapon in the passing game during the NFL Draft on Thursday night. Philadelphia traded up with Dallas to No. 20 overall in the first round and selected USC’s Makai Lemon, who should replace A.J. Brown once he is eventually traded.
The Eagles are expected to trade Brown after June 1 because of his contract, and the Patriots are reportedly the front-runner to acquire him. We’ll address that trade once it happens.
On Thursday, Philadelphia gave Dallas pick No. 23 overall in Round 1 and two fourth-rounders (114 and 137) for No. 20 overall and a Round 7 pick. The Eagles got a potential steal in Lemon, who could be the No. 1 receiver in this draft class.
Lemon is the fourth receiver Philadelphia has acquired this offseason along with Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore and Dontayvion Wicks. Once A.J. Brown is traded, that group will compete with DeVonta Smith to be the No. 1 target for quarterback Jalen Hurts.
I like Smith the best of the bunch, and he should be considered a high-end No. 2 Fantasy receiver worth drafting as early as Round 4. Smith has the best rapport with Hurts, and he should lead the Eagles in targets in 2026.
But Lemon could challenge Smith for the top spot, and he has the chance to be the best rookie Fantasy receiver this year. In rookie-only drafts for dynasty leagues, Lemon should be considered a top-five overall pick. And he’s worth drafting as early as Round 6 in redraft formats.
At USC, Lemon was a star in 2025 with 79 catches for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns, and he won the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in college football. He is a great route runner, who is dangerous after the catch, and it’s easy to compare him to another USC great in Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown.
It’s going to be fun to see how the Eagles deploy Smith and Lemon, but both should soak up targets. Brown led Philadelphia in targets last season with 121 — Smith was second with 113 — and we’ll see how Lemon fits in along with Marquise Brown, Wicks and Moore.
By adding Lemon, those other guys should be secondary options, and Dallas Goedert and Saquon Barkley will also be involved in the passing game. Remember, the Eagles also have a new offensive coordinator this season in Sean Mannion, and he has a new toy to use in Lemon.
Hurts will miss having A.J. Brown this season, but adding Lemon is a good consolation prize. Hurts remains a borderline top-five Fantasy quarterback in all leagues.
The Eagles did well to get Lemon, and he ended up in a great spot in Philadelphia. This was a great move for Fantasy managers that Lemon went to the Eagles at No. 20 overall.
