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The Philadelphia Eagles selected USC wide receiver Makai Lemon with the 20th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but concerns arise regarding the future of A.J. Brown. Brown is expected to be traded, likely to the New England Patriots, impacting the team's receiving lineup.
The DeVonta Smith-related problem with Eagles draft pick Makai Lemon originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
To be clear, the Philadelphia Eagles likely made a great pick by moving up three spots and snagging USC wide receiver Makai Lemon with the 20th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
It's not a perfect pick, though, because of how it relates to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
At this point, it seems a foregone conclusion that Brown is traded eventually, most likely to the New England Patriots.
That leaves a receiving group led by Smith but also including Lemon, Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore.
Those are quality WR talents, yes, but there's something quite in common there: None of them are that big.
Lemon is a playmaker, but he's a lot closer to Smith's size than Brown's.
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Hollywood and Moore are both on the smaller, quicker side, as well.
Wicks is 6-foot-1 and a great jumper, so in this group, he's the big guy, but he doesn't have the strength of the 6-1 (but feels taller) and 226-pound Brown.
The Eagles drafted Makai Lemon to strengthen their receiving corps, moving up three spots to select him with the 20th overall pick.
A.J. Brown is expected to be traded, with the New England Patriots being the most likely destination.
The key wide receivers for the Eagles include DeVonta Smith, Makai Lemon, Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, and Elijah Moore.
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The question then becomes: Does this Eagles offense need a big, strong, physical receiver? Can it thrive with mostly littler, shiftier guys?
And really, what is Jalen Hurts best equipped to handle?
It does certainly feel like something could be missing from this group, even while acknowledging that it's a talented bunch.
Hurts surely would like to have a guy he can just loft the ball down the field to and trust to go up and get it. Maybe Wicks becomes that guy.
But it certainly would've helped the Eagles if the first-round WR they drafted was a like-for-like replacement for Brown. Instead, Lemon has a decent amount in common with Smith.