USC head football coach Lincoln Riley wants the Philadelphia Eagles to know that they just selected a winner in the 2026 NFL Draft. While nearly every college coach praises their star players on the way out, Riley made sure everyone knew just how special Makai Lemon is.
Following Lemon’s first-round selection, Riley gushed over his former star receiver. The Trojans’ head coach said he admired Lemon’s pure love for football, saying he does not play for the “ratings” or “social media followers.”
“[Makai Lemon] loves ball, and is all about that,” Riley said, via 97.5 The Fan. “He doesn’t get caught up in a lot of the other stuff… He doesn’t do it for ratings, he doesn’t do it for social media followers, he doesn’t do it for money. This guy just loves the game.”
The Eagles clearly saw the same virtues Riley sees in Lemon. Philadelphia liked him enough to move up from No. 23 to No. 20 to take him in the first round and steal him from the grasp of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Some scouts had questions about Lemon’s size, but nobody doubted his accomplishments. The 5-foot-11 playmaker ended his college football career with 1,156 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in 2025 to win the Fred Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation’s top receiver.
Philadelphia’s trading up for Lemon also indicates its belief in him as its potential A.J. Brown replacement. The 28-year-old wideout has been on the trade block since speaking out against the organization on multiple occasions last season and is expected to get moved soon.
Should Brown get traded, Lemon will immediately step into a one-two punch with another former Biletnikoff Award winner, DeVonta Smith. The Eagles are expected to pass the ball more in 2025 under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion.
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