NFL draft: Eagles select ‘insanely competitive' USC WR Makai Lemon at No. 20
Former USC receiver Makai Lemon appeared to be holding back tears behind dark tinted sunglasses as he walked to the NFL draft stage on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
The journey from Los Alamitos High to professional football was finally complete, albeit in an unexpected way.
The Philadelphia Eagles traded up to select Lemon with the 20th overall pick in the first round on Thursday night, making him the latest receiver at the disposal of Jalen Hurts – who was a Heisman Trophy runner-up under current USC head coach Lincoln Riley at the University of Oklahoma.
"I'm just so blessed right now," Lemon said on the ESPN broadcast. "I just praise the Lord for every moment, really. This is a dream come true. I can't even believe this right now."
According to ESPN's live analytics, there was only a 4% chance that Lemon, a consensus All-American, would be available when the 20th pick came around.
The Eagles traded picks No. 23, 114 and 137 in order to get the 20th pick and select a receiver who could fill a void if A.J. Brown is traded to the New England Patriots in June, a deal that is reportedly going to happen.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, who held the 21st pick, were also reportedly vying for Lemon, and Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and his staff saw the clock ticking as they attempted to get him on the phone.
"Clock got down a little bit lower than we would have liked, but we were able to get in touch with him and select him," Roseman told reporters during a press conference on Thursday night.
"When you have a player that you like that's ranked higher on your board than where you're picking, you think at every pick that he's going to be selected. You think everyone's thinking the way that you are, and so, certainly for us, we didn't want to sit on our hands."
USC has now gone 25 consecutive years with a player drafted in either the first, second or third round and has the most draft picks (368) of the common draft era, which started in 1967.
Many mock drafts projected that the Rams would choose Lemon with the 13th overall pick, but they surprised many when they selected Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
"There were a lot of players that we liked," Rams head coach Sean McVay said during a press conference. "And there was a lot of thought that went into it and we do feel really fortunate that when you look at the 13th pick, we were able to get that."
Lemon is the first USC receiver to win the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to college football's best receiver, since Marqise Lee did so in 2012. He ended his junior season with 79 catches for 1,156 yards and 14 touchdowns, then declared for the draft in mid-December.
The Los Alamitos High product is known for his all-business approach to football as well as his overall grittiness as a receiver. His route-running is snappy and his grip on the ball is strong, turning contested catches into guarantees. And he's usually good for a few yards after the catch, too.
"Insane ability to catch the ball in contested situations," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told reporters. "I love his toughness. I think this guy's a tough, tough football player with the way he carries the football, when he has the football on his hands and how he blocks. Insanely competitive. Really excited that he's added to our roster.
Lemon was also the Trojans' primary return man during his sophomore and junior seasons and was even used on a trick play against Oregon this season that resulted in a 24-yard touchdown pass to then-freshman Tanook Hines.
Several other Trojans are expecting to hear their names called as the draft continues into the weekend. The second and third rounds are slated for Friday evening and the fourth through seventh rounds will be held on Saturday morning.
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