Makai Lemon Fantasy Stats

Philadelphia Eagles rookie first-round wide receiver Makai Lemon signed his four-year, fully guaranteed rookie contract on Thursday, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. The deal includes an $11.5 million signing bonus. The Eagles traded up with the division-rival Dallas Cowboys to take Lemon at 20th overall and steal them away from the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were reportedly ready to take Lemon at pick No. 21. The selection of Lemon only reinforces the expectation that the Eagles will trade Pro Bowl wideout A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots around June 1. Lemon, who stands at 5-foot-11 and 294 pounds, profiles as more of a slot receiver, but he could be moved around the offensive formation alongside DeVonta Smith. Lemon plays bigger than his size and has plenty of yards-after-the-catch potential in a Philly offense looking for a spark. As long as Brown ends up heading out of town, Lemon should have immediate value in single-year fantasy formats in 2026. In rookie-only keeper drafts this year, Lemon should be considered a top-five player.

When the Philadelphia Eagles traded up to select USC wide receiver Makai Lemon with the 20th pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, they got a player who spent his final collegiate season as the unquestioned alpha in Lincoln Riley's pass-heavy Trojans offense. In his Biletnikoff Award-winning season, Lemon earned a 26.8% target share, even while taking the field with another early NFL pick in Ja'Kobi Lane, who the Baltimore Ravens selected in the third round on Day 2. Moving to the next level, Lemon is unlikely to see that sort of opportunity as a rookie. The Eagles threw the ball at the sixth-lowest rate in the league in 2025 and were one of only nine teams with fewer than 500 total pass attempts. While the presumed trade of three-time Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Brown will open up 127 targets from 2025, the Eagles have revamped their receiver room on the fly, adding Marquise Brown and Dontayvion Wicks through free agency and trade, and after drafting Lemon on Day 1, they added the pass-catching tight end Eli Stowers in the second round. Incumbent receiver DeVonta Smith is still the safest bet to lead the team in targets in 2026, but Lemon represents his most significant competition both long-term and in the here and now. Given their complementary skill sets, it's possible that Smith and Lemon could form a new one-two punch in Philadelphia, with the rest of the new additions settling into more periphery supporting roles, which would still make Lemon one of the most valuable selections in dynasty rookie drafts.

Before the Philadelphia Eagles traded up to make USC wide receiver prospect Makai Lemon the 20th pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, the 5-foot-11, 192-pound slot receiver was nearly selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport. With the Cowboys believed to be on the clock ahead of them, the Steelers phoned Lemon to make their intentions known, but unbeknownst to either the team or the player, Philadelphia swapped picks with Dallas, moving up from their original spot at 23 by sending two fourth-round picks to their division rival. The last time the Eagles and Cowboys made a first-round draft trade, Philadelphia moved up to select wide receiver DeVonta Smith, with whom Lemon will now share the field. Fueling the expectation that Philadelphia will say goodbye to three-time Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Brown after June 1st, the Eagles acquired Marquise Brown and Dontayvion Wicks through free agency and trade, and they now add additional firepower through the draft with the 2025 Biletnikoff Award winner. With Lemon off the board, Pittsburgh used the 21st pick on Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor.

The Philadelphia Eagles swung a trade with the division-rival Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night to move up to the 20th overall pick of the 2026 NFL draft to select USC wide receiver Makai Lemon. The Eagles already have DeVonta Smith and acquired Dontayvion Wicks this offseason, so the selection of Lemon in the first round is more writing on the wall that star pass-catcher A.J. Brown will be traded after June 1. The 21-year-old Lemon is considered one of the best wideouts in this year's class, and he should immediately have a chance to be the Eagles' WR2 behind Smith if Brown is traded. Lemon stands at 5-foot-11 and 193 pounds and figures to see most of his playing time from the slot in Philly. The Eagles will be hoping that the Biletnikoff Award winner will once again make their offense more dynamic after they struggled mightily to stay on the field in 2025. He's regarded as a plug-and-play slot man with impressive technical route-running polish. Lemon isn't the strongest or biggest wideout, but he should give quarterback Jalen Hurts an explosive and productive weapon through the air. In dynasty/keeper drafts, Lemon should be considered a top-five pick.

USC wide receiver Makai Lemon is expected to hear his name called early on Thursday's opening night of the NFL Draft, with few pundits anticipating him getting past the New York Jets at pick No. 16. Lemon played over 75% of his collegiate snaps out of the slot, and historically, slot-only receivers to earn that type of early draft capital have not translated cleanly to fantasy. In Lemon's case, though, he plays much bigger than his verified 5'11", 192-pound size, and as a bona fide target-earner, he has the nuance and creativity to both create separation before and add yards after the catch. There is a reason he is most commonly compared to Detroit's Amon-Ra St. Brown, a player whose fantasy value has grown right alongside his evolving usage. While Carnell Tate comes into the NFL having never been the primary receiver on his own team, and Jordyn Tyson's injury history is extensive, Lemon may have the easiest time overcoming his own perceived flaws, and he has a realistic possibility to emerge as the fantasy receiver to roster from the 2026 draft class.

University of Southern California wide receiver Makai Lemon is viewed as one of the top prospects heading into Thursday's NFL Draft. Lemon excelled during his final season at school, catching 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also had a pair of rushing touchdowns. Lemon is currently in a tight race with Ohio State's Cornell Tate for the title of top receiver in the upcoming rookie class. Perhaps whichever receiver is selected first on Thursday will give his school a leg up in the competition to see which college is Wide Receiver University. USC certainly has a decent case to be made, as NFL stars like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Drake London, and Jordan Addison were all Trojans. Lemon has the potential to join that list, as there's no disputing his star upside. The young prospect should make an immediate impact in fantasy football. He ranks as the No. 3 prospect and No. 2 wide receiver in RotoBaller's latest fantasy football rookie rankings.

USC wide receiver Makai Lemon, who is considered a top-three player at his position in this year's NFL draft class, visited with the Miami Dolphins on Monday, a source told Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Miami has the 11th overall pick in the first round of this year's draft, which is right around the spot when teams will likely begin considering Lemon. The Dolphins landing Lemon would not be much of a surprise at all after they released All-Pro wideout Tyreek Hill (knee) and traded receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos this offseason. Right now, Jalen Tolbert, Malik Washington, and Tutu Atwell are considered the team's top-three pass-catchers, so new quarterback Malik Willis could certainly use some help. If Lemon were to land in South Beach, he could quickly become the WR1 in Miami as Willis' go-to target. Lemon should man the slot wherever he lands in the NFL, and he's been frequently compared to Lions star wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown.

The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport expects there to be two wide receivers taken within the top 15 picks of this year's draft in a couple of weeks, and he goes on to say that there's a "pretty decent chance" that USC's Makai Lemon will be the third wideout off the board around the No. 16 to No. 18 range. Even though Lemon's interviews were criticized during the NFL scouting combine, plenty of teams like him and have compared him to Lions pass-catcher Amon-Ra St. Brown, which is a very high compliment. The New York Jets, Lions, and Vikings are currently in draft spots 16 through 18. Lemon has already had a pre-draft visit with the receiver-needy Miami Dolphins, who hold the 11th overall pick and the 30th overall pick in the first round. Ohio State wideout Carnell Tate is the consensus No. 1 player at the position in this year's draft class, and Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson is the other player who could go before Lemon on April 23. Regardless of where Lemon goes in the draft, he should have immediate fantasy appeal in single-year and dynasty leagues in 2026.

The Kansas City Chiefs hosted USC wide receiver prospect Makai Lemon for a top-30 visit on Thursday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Each team is allowed to host 30 players for private visits, and the Chiefs used one of theirs on a top receiver prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Chiefs hold the No. 9 selection in the draft, so there's a strong chance that Lemon will be available when they're on the clock. He's coming off a terrific season in which he caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns. He'd be a good fit for the Chiefs, too, since Kansas City is looking for consistency at the wide receiver position that it hasn't had since Tyreek Hill was on the team. Rashee Rice continues to find himself in the middle of legal battles, and Xavier Worthy hasn't quite lived up to the WR1 hype. The Chiefs haven't picked this high since 2013, when they selected Eric Fisher first overall, and they've never taken a receiver with a top-10 pick. Still, desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Chiefs could look to make a major splash on offense after missing the playoffs last year.

USC wide receiver Makai Lemon was criticized for his bizarre interviews at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis in late February, but there's no question that he has the talent to be a top-15 selection in April's draft. The 21-year-old is a prototypical slot receiver who should be very productive at the next level, provided he stays healthy. Lemon broke out in his junior year in 2025 for the Trojans, catching 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 games after scoring only three touchdowns in 21 games in his first two years at USC. Despite all of Lemon's potential shortcomings off the field, he's a fantastic receiving prospect going into this year's draft. However, there are questions about his ability to win outside, which could limit his playing time early on in his career in the NFL. Given his talent alone, Lemon could be a top-20 dynasty/keeper drafts in 2026. There's no question that Lemon will be a first-round at the end of April.