Grade

Photo: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

1st Round

2026 Draft Class

Makai Lemon

Grade

B-

Status

DraftedR1 • P20Philadelphia Eagles

USC

5'11 1/8"

192lbs

Age 22

Jul 3, 2026

Executive Summary

Makai Lemon is a polished slot receiver whose advanced route-running, strong instincts, and creativity after the catch make him one of the most refined pass catchers in the class.

Strengths

Route Running, YAC Ability, and Ball Skills

Weaknesses

Athleticism / Frame and Run Blocking

Highlight Reel

Full Scouting Report

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Route Running

Pros:

•Utilizes head fakes

•Stems his routes extremely well

•Can sink his hips and break down really well

•Accelerates out of his breaks quickly

•Has average hand activation throughout the route

•Flashed an ability to make clean breaks

•Has solid release footwork and tempo

•Can relatively consistently manipulate defenders' hips

•Flashed a rip move to get hands off

•Shown at times he can stack his routes and keep his route on line

Cons:

•Rounds his cuts more than you would like

•Choppy steps at the top of his breaks at times

•Doesn’t drive off his front foot on the LOS (wasted step)

•Could adjust his routes slightly better

•Can get stacked to the sideline too easily

•Hands are lacking on his press release

•Random lapses in effort at times

RAC / YAC Ability

Pros:

•Really solid contact balance

•Uses his twitch and acceleration to speed by defenders

•Keeps his legs churning through contact

•Exceptional vision as a runner and creative in space

•Shows twitch and juking ability

•Has home run speed to house call it

Cons:

•Wouldn’t say at the NFL level he will be as elite after the catch

Athleticism / Frame

Pros:

•4.50 40 time is just about average

Cons:

•Small hands at 8 ¾ inches

•Below average arm length at 30 ½”

•True slot body

•He can’t sustain his separating speed out of his breaks

Ball Skills

Pros:

•Can get popped post hit and hold on to the ball

•Regularly finishes through contact

•Does a really good job coming back to the ball

•Was even decent in contested catch backshoulder, underthrown, or slight jump ball plays

•Reliable hands

Cons:

•Can struggle to make catches out of his immediate frame because of his shorter arms and smaller hands

Game IQ / Processing

Pros:

•Situational awareness for the sideline

•Finds soft spots in the zone extremely well

•Carries out fakes really well

•Uses little push-offs to create separation for himself

•Recognizes the hole in Cover 2 and sits in it with perfect spacing

Cons:

•Super costly mistake on a double pass play against Notre Dame; should’ve just thrown it away right away or taken the sack

•Pick routes could be a lot better

Agility / Twitch

Pros:

•Displays wiggle and short area quickness

•Shown really solid acceleration

•Has shown plenty of twitch at the top of his route

Cons:

•Not elite

Versatility

Pros:

•Played on the outside a little bit

•Was motioned around a lot

•Got snaps at various places outside of the snap and outside

•Had a play as the thrower on a double pass

•Decent kick returner skills but plenty of experience

Cons:

•Gonna be limited to mainly the slot at the next level

•Wasn’t really used as a punt returner

Run Blocking

Pros:

•Can do a decent job just getting in the way

•Like how he sets up outside leverage on certain plays to give a clear running lane for the ball carrier

•Seals defenders off effectively

•Effort is pretty consistently there

Cons:

•Better effort to stay on a guy

Games Watched:

•Week 1 vs MOST, Week 2 vs GASO, Week 5 vs ILL, Week 7 vs ND, Week 8 vs NEB, Week 9 vs NU

Ideal Situation:

•Makai Lemon is a better player than his rating and grade suggest. I do believe he was worth a 1st-round pick. The only problems were his frame and lack of top-end athleticism, which really tanked his grade. His route running is very solid and just about NFL-ready. I really like his head fakes, stems, and tempo to gain leverage against the cornerback. After the catch, he really shined in college. His contact balance for his size is elite, with great vision and decent juking ability. Lemon also has tremendous ball skills for his size. Lemon gets popped and still holds onto the ball, makes contested catches, and catches through contact. At his frame, it is incredible to see. Lemon has great awareness of the sideline, knows where he is, and has mastered sitting in that Cover 2 window along the sideline, as well as other zones. Lemon also displays great wiggle and short area-quickness to create separation for himself. Lemon has plenty of versatility as a kick returner, getting motioned a ton, and lining up in some crazy Lincoln Riley sets. His run blocking is also well above average. Lemon does have aspects to work on. While I like his route running, I think it could be a little better with more clean breaks, and he really needs to handle physical corners better. I am also concerned about how well his YAC will translate to the next level. I think it should translate well enough, but not as elite as in college. Makai Lemon has shorter arms and smaller hands, which will limit his ability to make catches beyond his immediate frame. Lemon does have a twitch to his game, but it is not elite. I do think he is gonna have to play outside receiver, probably at the Z next year or maybe X, because the Eagles have an extremely small receiver room. Guys like Lemon, DeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, and EJ Moore aren't used to being WR1 X receivers. Makai Lemon does project to start his first season in the league. Lemon was drafted in the 1st Round, Pick 20 by the Philadelphia Eagles. I really like Lemon as a prospect, and I expect him to have a good career; however, I’m not sure I love his fit in this offense. I also think the Eagles should’ve drafted a bigger-bodied receiver to replace AJ Brown. Lemon has missed some of the early part of camp due to a hamstring injury, but it is said to be very minor.

Rating:

•Route Running – 8.4/10

•RAC / YAC Ability – 8.3/10

•Athleticism / Frame – 7.0/10

•Ball Skills – 8.6/10

•Game IQ / Processing – 8.7/10

•Agility / Twitch – 8.6/10

•Versatility – 8.6/10

•Run Blocking – 7.4/10

Total = 81.6/100 (B-) Late 2nd Round

Combine Testing

Height

5'11"

Weight

192lbs

27thBelow Average

40-Yard Dash

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Vertical

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Bench

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Broad Jump

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Three-Cone

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Shuttle

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DPH Proprietary Scores

Frame Score

Measures a prospect's physical build and size relative to historical NFL positional standards.

DPH Athlete

Diamond Prospects' proprietary athletic score that evaluates a player's overall athletic profile using combine testing and positional percentiles.

Total Score

The combined athletic evaluation generated from Frame Score and DPH Athlete Score.

Combine Year: 2026 • Data from DPH Combine Database

Andrés Griñe

Founder of DiamondProspects and Head NFL Scout View Full Bio

I am an Assistant in Player Personnel/Scouting for Washington State Football with over six years of experience scouting NFL prospects and evaluating talent. I previously covered high school baseball as a writer for NMPreps and now run DiamondProspects, where I publish scouting reports, prospect evaluations, and draft analysis. I am currently a junior pursuing a degree in Sports Management and am originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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