Although the Eagles are expected to trade Brown, Lemon’s addition bolsters a strong receiving corps led by DeVonta Smith, another first-round pick by general manager Howie Roseman. They previously added Dontayvion Wicks in a trade with the Green Bay Packers and signed Marquise Brown.
In their joint press conference after the draft began, Roseman and coach Nick Sirianni both raved about Lemon’s talent.
“There’s a lot to like about him,” Roseman said. “Competitor. Has the ability to separate in man coverage, out of the slot, he can play outside. Physical player. Really good with the ball in his hands. Really good hands. Good in zone coverage, has really good instincts.”
Sirianni added: “Just his ability to separate. Crazy ability to get the ball in tough situations. I love his toughness. I think this guy is a tough, tough football player with the way he carries the football and when he has the football in his hands and the way he blocks. Crazy competitive. There’s a lot to like. Really excited to have him join our team.”
Lemon’s game hardly mirrors Brown’s with his physical presence on the outside, but he has drawn countless comparisons to another Trojan product, current Detroit Lions dynamo Amon-Ra St. Brown.
A two-year starter at USC, Lemon is a slot with otherworldly ball skills. In 2025, he amassed 1,156 yards on 79 catches with 11 touchdowns en route to being named the Biletnikoff Award winner as college football’s top receiver. Lemon was named a first-team All-American, a first-team All-Big Ten player and was named Polynesian College Football Co-Player of the Year (Utah OT Spencer Fano).
At 5-foot-11, 192 pounds, Lemon doesn’t boast much size, but he’s a fighter who will fight for every pigskin and scrap for every yard. He is an excellent runner, with a sharp break at the top of the route, which allows him to gain separation even against fast corners. Lemon excels in zone, knowing where to sit in space.
Lemon has handles that are passive and boasts a career slugging percentage of 2.8%. Making the most of the slot, Lemon works with quickness off the line and plays bigger than his frame, winning 50/50 balls and can contort his body to land throws out of bounds.
The few questions about Lemon’s game are whether his size will translate against bigger defenders and, faster than fast, can he consistently create space against NFL-caliber corners.
The former Trojan was tipped by many to the Los Angeles Rams, but they pulled the trigger by drafting quarterback Ty Simpson. So Lemon is leaving LA for Philly, where he will look to bolster new offensive line coach Sean Mannion’s roster and provide quarterback Jalen Hurts with another top target along with Smith.