Eagles Trade Up With Rival Cowboys To Draft USC WR Makai Lemon 20th Overall

The Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys made a rare inter-division trade, with the Eagles sending picks 23, 114, and 137 to the Cowboys for pick 20 and a 2027 seventh-round pick. The Eagles went on to select USC wide receiver Makai Lemon with the 20th pick, followed by the Cowboys drafting UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence with the 23rd pick.

With the addition of Lemon, this could be a telltale sign that Eagles veteran wide receiver A.J. Brown is headed to the New England Patriots after June 1.

According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, Brown is likely to be traded to the Patriots as soon as June 1 arrives, when his $40 million contract gets split in half.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman had this to say about Brown and his status with the Eagles: “Again, A.J. is a member of the Eagles. We don’t have any trades that have been made or that are done.” 

“And I think for us, we’re taking this one day at a time. We’re going to look to improve the team tomorrow, and we’ll continue to address anything that we have to with our roster, not only through this draft weekend but we’ll continue to look for ways to improve the team throughout the offseason and as we get into training camp.”

For Lemon, he did not expect to be drafted by the Eagles, as he was on the phone with the Pittsburgh Steelers general manager, Omar Khan, before he got a call from the Eagles telling him that they had traded up for him.

The Eagles didn’t expect Lemon to still be available around pick 20, but they saw that his name was still on the board, and they took their opportunity to give quarterback Jalen Hurts a dynamic playmaker.

Lemon had a standout season for USC, posting 79 receptions for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns and being named an All-American.

The USC receiver will be joining a wide receiver room that will include DeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks and Marquise Brown.