PHILADELPHIA − In many ways, the Eagles taking USC wide receiver Makai Lemon in the first round of the NFL draft was the best thing that could've happened to A.J. Brown.
Officially, as general manager Howie Roseman put it on April 23: "A.J. is a member of the Eagles."
The Eagles traded with the Dallas Cowboys, moving up from No. 23 to No. 20 in the first round to get Lemon. In return, the Eagles gave up both of their fourth-round picks, at No. 114 and No. 137. The Eagles are also getting a seventh-round pick in 2027.
Unofficially, Brown is not going to be a member of the Eagles for much longer.
There's no way that he can be. If Brown was disgruntled last season with the amount of passes thrown his way, think about how much more disgruntled he would be this season after the Eagles drafted Lemon, traded for Dontayvion Wicks, and signed veteran free agents Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore.
And oh yeah, the Eagles are also a run-first offense behind Saquon Barkley and quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Southern California Trojans receiver Makai Lemon poses with his parents Mike and Brandy Lemon on the red carpet before the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23 at Point State Park in Pittsburgh.Southern California Trojans receiver Makai Lemon poses on the red carpet before the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23 at Point State Park in Pittsburgh.Southern California Trojans receiver Makai Lemon is introduced before the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23 at Acrisure Stadium.Apr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Southern California Trojans receiver Makai Lemon is selected by the Philadelphia Eagles as the number 20 pick during the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23 at Acrisure Stadium.Makai Lemon (R) of USC poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (L) after being selected twentieth overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles during Round One of the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium on April 23, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Makai Lemon of USC celebrates after being selected twentieth overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles during Round One of the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium on April 23, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Makai Lemon #6 of the USC Trojans catches a pass against the Washington Huskies at Husky Stadium on November 02, 2024 in Seattle, Washington.Makai Lemon #6 of the USC Trojans makes a catch over Jaydon Hill #8 of the Texas A&M Aggies during second half of the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium on December 27, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Trojans defeated the Aggies 35-31.Makai Lemon #6 of the USC Trojans walks out of the tunnel before the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 20, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.USC wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) runs for a first down before he is stopped by Michigan linebacker Jimmy Rolder (30), defensive back Rod Moore (19) and defensive end Cameron Brandt (9) on Oct. 11 at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.Southern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) scores a touchdown against the Oregon Ducks during the second half on Nov. 22 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, OregonUSC wide receiver Makai Lemon is brought down by a pack of Oregon defenders as the Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans on Nov. 22, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.Southern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) catches a 32-yard touchdown pass against UCLA Bruins defensive back Kanye Clark (1) in the second half on Nov. 29 at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.Southern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) catches a 32-yard touchdown pass against UCLA Bruins defensive back Kanye Clark (1) in the second half on Nov. 20 at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.Southern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) hurdles UCLA Bruins punter Will Karoll (49) as linebacker Scott Taylor (20) watches in the second half Nov. 20 at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.1 / 15Meet Makai Lemon, Eagles newest draft pick in photosSouthern California Trojans receiver Makai Lemon poses with his parents Mike and Brandy Lemon on the red carpet before the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23 at Point State Park in Pittsburgh.1 / 15Meet Makai Lemon, Eagles newest draft pick in photosSouthern California Trojans receiver Makai Lemon poses with his parents Mike and Brandy Lemon on the red carpet before the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23 at Point State Park in Pittsburgh.2 / 15Meet Makai Lemon, Eagles newest draft pick in photosSouthern California Trojans receiver Makai Lemon poses on the red carpet before the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23 at Point State Park in Pittsburgh.3 / 15Meet Makai Lemon, Eagles newest draft pick in photosSouthern California Trojans receiver Makai Lemon is introduced before the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23 at Acrisure Stadium.4 / 15Meet Makai Lemon, Eagles newest draft pick in photosApr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Southern California Trojans receiver Makai Lemon is selected by the Philadelphia Eagles as the number 20 pick during the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23 at Acrisure Stadium.5 / 15Meet Makai Lemon, Eagles newest draft pick in photosMakai Lemon (R) of USC poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (L) after being selected twentieth overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles during Round One of the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium on April 23, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.6 / 15Meet Makai Lemon, Eagles newest draft pick in photosMakai Lemon of USC celebrates after being selected twentieth overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles during Round One of the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium on April 23, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.7 / 15Meet Makai Lemon, Eagles newest draft pick in photosMakai Lemon #6 of the USC Trojans catches a pass against the Washington Huskies at Husky Stadium on November 02, 2024 in Seattle, Washington.8 / 15Meet Makai Lemon, Eagles newest draft pick in photosMakai Lemon #6 of the USC Trojans makes a catch over Jaydon Hill #8 of the Texas A&M Aggies during second half of the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium on December 27, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Trojans defeated the Aggies 35-31.9 / 15Meet Makai Lemon, Eagles newest draft pick in photosMakai Lemon #6 of the USC Trojans walks out of the tunnel before the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 20, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.10 / 15Meet Makai Lemon, Eagles newest draft pick in photosUSC wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) runs for a first down before he is stopped by Michigan linebacker Jimmy Rolder (30), defensive back Rod Moore (19) and defensive end Cameron Brandt (9) on Oct. 11 at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.11 / 15Meet Makai Lemon, Eagles newest draft pick in photosSouthern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) scores a touchdown against the Oregon Ducks during the second half on Nov. 22 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon12 / 15Meet Makai Lemon, Eagles newest draft pick in photosUSC wide receiver Makai Lemon is brought down by a pack of Oregon defenders as the Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans on Nov. 22, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.13 / 15Meet Makai Lemon, Eagles newest draft pick in photosSouthern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) catches a 32-yard touchdown pass against UCLA Bruins defensive back Kanye Clark (1) in the second half on Nov. 29 at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.14 / 15Meet Makai Lemon, Eagles newest draft pick in photosSouthern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) catches a 32-yard touchdown pass against UCLA Bruins defensive back Kanye Clark (1) in the second half on Nov. 20 at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.15 / 15Meet Makai Lemon, Eagles newest draft pick in photosSouthern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) hurdles UCLA Bruins punter Will Karoll (49) as linebacker Scott Taylor (20) watches in the second half Nov. 20 at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.It's no longer a question of whether A.J. Brown can be happy again in Philadelphia because the Eagles just made that impossible.
By doing so, the Eagles took Brown off the hook for pouting his way off the team − and most likely onto the New England Patriots − through his social media posts last season. ESPN reported on April 20 that a deal between the two teams "is still tracking to happen on or after June 1."
After the Eagles drafted Lemon, the NFL Network reported that "the Eagles are operating with the assumption that A.J. Brown will not be on their team next season," and that trade talks will pick up again as June 1 approaches.
From The NFL Draft: The #Eagles select #USC WR Makai Lemon, almost certainly saying goodbye to AJ Brown (eventually). pic.twitter.com/wVYYc3v1NJ
"We don’t have any trades that have been made, or that are done," Eagles GM Howie Roseman said. "I think for us, we’re taking this one day at a time. We’re going to look to improve the team, and we’ll continue to address anything that we have to with our roster, not only through this draft weekend. We’ll continue to look for ways to improve the team throughout the offseason and as we get into training camp."
It's not that Lemon alone will be able to replace Brown's production. Brown, after all, had four straight seasons with the Eagles in which he surpassed 1,000 yards receiving and had the two highest totals for a season in franchise history with 1,496 yards in 2022 and 1,456 yards in 2023.
But Lemon, along with an expected increase in production from DeVonta Smith, along with contributions from Wicks, Hollywood Brown and Moore, gives the Eagles a stronger and deeper wide receiver room than what the Eagles have had in the past.
Yes, that's including Brown. Last season, Jahan Dotson was the Eagles' No. 3 receiver and had just 262 yards receiving. Both Wicks (332 yards with the Packers) and Hollywood Brown (587 yards with the Chiefs) surpassed those totals last season.
"I think when we look at the wide receiver position in the offseason, we felt like it was an area we wanted to address," Roseman said. "We wanted to really have a basketball team of skillset of different players who could do different things and add to the offense and give us versatility and give us depth."
Consider Lemon the equivalent of the shooting guard.
DRAFT NIGHT THEFT: How Eagles stole Makai Lemon from Steelers in Round 1 of NFL draft
He had 1,156 yards receiving last season for the Trojans with 11 touchdowns. He won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the top wide receiver at the FBS level. Lemon isn't the biggest receiver at 5-11, 192 pounds, and he isn't the fastest with a 40-yard dash time of 4.47 at his Pro Day in March.
But Lemon is a dependable and high-volume receiver in the slot. Lemon has been compared to the Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown, who's 6-foot, 202 pounds, and has had four straight seasons with at least 100 receptions and 1,100 yards.
"They're gonna get someone who can come in, who wants to compete at a high level, a dawg, somebody that’s gonna do anything that the organization needs me to do at a high level," Lemon said. "Just playing for my teammates day in and day out, leading by example, and being the best player and person I can be each and every day."