The Eagles traded up in Round 1 to land Lemon following a season where he won the Fred Biletnikoff Award for being the best college receiver. He'll get picked in every redraft league around Round 9, and in every rookie-only draft with a top-four pick (if not top-two depending on format). The 5-foot-11, 192-pounder isn't the biggest nor the fastest, but he knows how to get open and uses his lateral agility and practiced route-running to do it. He's got great hands (three drops over 175 targets in his past two seasons), incredible toughness, terrific ball tracking, and NFL-ready versatility to make plays lining up anywhere. Sharing the field with DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert in 2026 might not yield a huge target share right away, and a pair of hamstring issues that sidelined him twice between May and August isn't encouraging, but with Goedert potentially off the team by 2027, Lemon's chances to be a major contributor long-term are strong.
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Fantasy News
Eagles' Makai Lemon: Practices in full Monday
Rotowire
Lemon (hamstring) was a full participant in Monday's practice, EJ Smith of The PHLY Sports reports.
The rookie has been hampered by a hamstring issue for much of camp but is starting to get on track as the season approaches. Lemon practiced in a limited fashion last week and has upgraded to full participation as of Monday. The rookie still has to play catch-up a bit with the lost time during camp, but a fully healthy remainder of the offseason will put Lemon in a good spot come Week 1.
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Eagles' Makai Lemon: Not playing Saturday
Rotowire
Lemon (hamstring) won't play in Saturday's preseason game at New England, Olivia Reiner of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Lemon has been dealing with a hamstring injury since at least Aug. 3, but he was listed as a limited participant Wednesday and Thursday in advance of this preseason Week 2 matchup. With no game action to speak of yet during exhibition season, the rookie first-round pick seems like a candidate to play this coming Friday at Cincinnati if he progresses enough in his recovery.
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Eagles' Makai Lemon: Deemed limited at Thursday's practice
Rotowire
Lemon (hamstring) is practicing on a limited basis Thursday, Dave Zangoro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
Lemon was also listed as limited at Wednesday's practice but wasn't in uniform. The rookie first-round pick has dealt with on-and-off hamstring injuries throughout his first NFL offseason. Philadelphia is taking a cautious approach with Lemon, who is poised to operate as a starter in three-receiver sets alongside DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Dontayvion Wicks once Philadelphia's wide receiver room is healthy. Lemon looks unlikely to suit up in Saturday's preseason game against the Patriots.
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Eagles' Makai Lemon: Poised to practice again Thursday
Rotowire
Lemon (hamstring) is expected to practice Tuesday in some capacity, Olivia Reiner of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
The Eagles had listed Lemon as a limited participant for Wednesday's practice, but he wasn't in uniform that session and was seemingly restricted to individual drills and rehab work off to the side. Though he may not necessarily be a full participant in Thursday's session, Lemon had his shoulder pads and helmet on as he walked on the field, which suggests that he'll be more involved than he was a day earlier. Given that he's been sidelined for most of camp with the right hamstring injury, Lemon would seem unlikely to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Patriots, but he may have a more realistic chance at seeing action in the exhibition finale next week versus the Bengals.
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Eagles' Makai Lemon: Listed as limited, not in uniform for practice
Rotowire
Lemon (hamstring) is listed as a limited participant on the injury report but is not in uniform for Wednesday's practice, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
Lemon has been sidelined for several weeks while recovering from a hamstring injury, and the report notes he is not suited up for Wednesday's session. However, his "limited" listing suggests he is making progress.
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Eagles' Makai Lemon: Spotted sprinting on side field
Rotowire
Lemon (hamstring) was spotted sprinting on the side at Monday's practice, EJ Smith of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
This is the first sign of progress since Lemon initially started missing practices, along with Saturday's preseason contest at Baltimore, due to a hamstring issue. The rookie first-round pick's next chance for exhibition action before the regular season arrives this coming Saturday in New England.
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Eagles' Makai Lemon: Still slowed by hamstring injury
Rotowire
Lemon (hamstring) won't take part in Thursday's practice, Eliot Shorr-Parks of Sports Radio 94 WIP Philadelphia reports.
The rookie first-round pick will be sidelined for his seventh practice of training camp, but he was spotted in a helmet catching passes from a JUGS machine off to the side, per Martin Frank of The Delaware News Journal. While his presence on a side field is seemingly a good sign, Lemon appears unlikely to be available for Saturday's preseason opener versus the Ravens. With DeVonta Smith also having been slowed by a hamstring injury in camp, Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown have been seeing added reps with the first-team offense.
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Eagles' Makai Lemon: Unlikely to break camp as starter
Rotowire
Lemon 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.
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.
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Eagles' Makai Lemon: Still sidelined by hamstring injury
Rotowire
Lemon (hamstring) isn't practicing Friday, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
Lemon and DeVonta Smith first missed practice Tuesday, both due to hamstring injuries. Neither has returned yet, and while reports don't suggest anything serious, Lemon previously dealt with a hamstring injury during the offseason program. In three seasons at USC, he missed just one game due to injury (a concussion in Sept. 2024).
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Eagles' Makai Lemon: Misses practice again
Rotowire
Lemon (hamstring) won't practice Wednesday, Zach Berman of The Athletic reports.
The same applies to DeVonta Smith (hamstring), but per Eliot Shorr-Parks of Sports Radio 94 WIP Philadelphia, neither player's hamstring issue is viewed as a long-term concern. As a rookie, the 2026 first-rounder has a chance to make his mark from a fantasy perspective while working alongside Smith in a Philadelphia WR corps that also includes Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown.
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Eagles' Makai Lemon: Dealing with minor hamstring injury
Rotowire
Lemon missed Tuesday's practice due to a hamstring injury that isn't expected to be a long-term concern, Eliot Shorr-Parks of Sports Radio 94 WIP Philadelphia reports.
With DeVonta Smith also absent due to a seemingly minor hamstring injury, the Eagles have Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown as their top healthy wide receivers. Reports from training camp suggest Lemon had been getting plenty of first-team work before the hamstring injury first impacted his availability Monday. After a limited practice to start the week, he seems to be sitting out entirely Tuesday morning.
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Eagles' Makai Lemon: Dealing with hamstring injury
Rotowire
Lemon did not participate in Tuesday's practice due to a hamstring injury, Brooks Kubena of The Athletic reports.
The 2026 first-round pick observed practice off to the side with his right leg in a compression sleeve. Following Monday's trade of A.J. Brown to the Patriots, Lemon is expected to operate as the Eagles' WR2 alongside DeVonta Smith this season. The severity of his hamstring injury isn't clear, but it wouldn't be a surprise if Lemon is done for the remainder of OTAs, with the focus being on having him fully healthy for training camp in July.
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Eagles' Makai Lemon: Working with starters at OTAs
Rotowire
Lemon is working with the starters during 7-on-7 drills at OTAs on Wednesday, Eliot Shorr-Parks of Sports Radio 94 WIP Philadelphia reports.
Lemon is already working with Jalen Hurts and the starting offense one month after having joined the Eagles in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 20th overall. Of course, with A.J. Brown and Dontayvion Wicks not present for voluntary OTAs, as Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports, Lemon is currently only competing with Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore for starting reps behind DeVonta Smith. In the event that the Eagles do eventually part ways with Brown via trade after June 1, Lemon's path to an immediate stating role as a rookie will be clearer.
