Eagles trade with Cowboys, pick Makai Lemon at No. 20 in NFL draft

PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles completed a trade with their division rival Cowboys on Thursday night and selected USC wide receiver Makai Lemon with the No. 20 pick in the NFL draft.

The Cowboys received the No. 23 pick and two fourth-round selections (Nos. 114 and 137) from the Eagles for the 20th pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick.

The addition of Lemon is another indication that AJ Brown is likely to be traded. Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Brown will likely be traded to the New England Patriots starting June 1. The two sides have discussed a deal, but neither has been willing to commit to one until June 1, when Brown’s $40 million in salary cap space will be split between this year and next.

“Again, AJ is a member of the Eagles. We don’t have any transactions that have been made or are being made,” general manager Howie Roseman said. “And I think for us, we’re taking it one day at a time. We’re going to look to improve the team tomorrow, and we’ll continue to address everything we need to do with our roster, not only during this draft weekend, but we’ll continue to look for ways to improve the team throughout the offseason and as we move into training camp.”

Philadelphia had to fend off its intrastate rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, to win the Biletnikoff Award. Lemon confirmed during a conference call with local media that he was on the phone with the Steelers, who were close to trading at pick 21, when a call came in from the Eagles saying they had traded up to select him.

“I feel like everything happened for a reason,” he said. “They traded, so it means a lot that they really wanted me. I’m all in, and they’re going to get everything I have.”

We didn’t even expect Lemon to be in range. According to ESPN Analytics’ Draft Predictor, entering the draft there was a 4% chance he would be available at pick 20.

Lemon had 79 receptions for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns last season to earn All-America honors. He had 137 catches for 2,008 yards and 14 touchdowns during his college career. He recorded over 150 receiving yards in four games last season, the most by a USC player since Drake London in 2021, and has become one of the nation’s top targets with 1,281 yards out of the slot since 2024.

“We kind of had a really good idea of ​​who we thought the first 15 guys were. [off the board]”, Roseman said. “One of those guys didn’t go in the top 15, and he was available to us. When we saw that, we were just trying to figure out where we could progress. »

Roseman and coach Nick Sirianni said they believe Lemon can play both inside and outside at the next level.

“His ability to separate, his insane ability to catch the ball in contested situations, I love his toughness,” Sirianni said. “Incredibly competitive, so there’s a lot to like. Really excited to have him added to our roster.”

The Eagles also signed free agent receivers Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore and acquired receiver Dontayvion Wicks in a trade with the Green Bay Packers this offseason, filling a room that will likely be without AJ Brown before long.