Eagles trade up for USC star Makai Lemon as A.J. Brown looms on the trading block

Southern California wide receiver Makai Lemon poses after being chosen by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 20th overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Makai Lemon’s first draft night phone call was from the Pittsburgh Steelers, excited about the chance to draft the USC standout with the 21st pick.

Please hold.

The Philadelphia Eagles made the call of the night — in the form of a trade up in the draft — and swooped in to select Lemon in the clearest sign yet the franchise has soured on Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Brown.

The Eagles selected Lemon out of USC with the 20th pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night, sliding up to get a top wideout with Brown on the trading block.

The NFC East champion Eagles traded the No. 23 overall pick to the Dallas Cowboys as part of a deal that gives quarterback Jalen Hurts a new weapon on offense. The Eagles also traded two fourth-rounders and got a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft in return.

For those keeping score at home, that’s four wins for Philadelphia over Pittsburgh this week — the Flyers lead the Penguins 3-0 in a first-round NHL playoff series.

Brown is likely on the move, with the Patriots expected to be the leading contender to land the star wide receiver, reuniting him with embattled coach Mike Vrabel, who had him in Tennessee. The Rams already pursued Brown earlier in the offseason. The Eagles would be able to spread a $40 million salary cap hit over two seasons by waiting until June 1 to deal Brown.

“For us, again, AJ is a member of the Eagles,” general manger Howie Roseman said. “We don’t have any trades that have been made or that are done. We’re taking this one day at a time. We’re going to look to improve the team tomorrow. We’ll continue to address anything 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 into training camp.”

Translation, ask again about Brown after June 1.

Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver this season after catching 79 passes for 1,156 yards — tops in the Power Four conferences — and 11 touchdowns for the Trojans. The 5-foot-11 wideout with a knack for acrobatic catches and game-changing plays earned first-team All-America honors from The Associated Press.

Lemon grew up 25 miles from USC’s campus in Orange County. After playing sparingly as a freshman in 2023, he caught 131 passes for 1,928 yards and 14 TDs during his two full seasons with the Trojans.

Lemon was USC’s second Biletnikoff Award winner, joining Marqise Lee (2012).

He was also moments away from becoming a Pittsburgh Steeler.

“I answered the phone and it was the Steelers,” Lemon said. “My phone kept ringing. I look and it was the Eagles. They traded up and they were going to pick me. I feel like everything happened for a reason. They traded up, so it means a lot that they really wanted me.”

Do the Eagles still want Brown?

Brown is not only the Eagles No. 1 wide receiver, but he’s also one of the top receivers in franchise history. He’s topped 1,000 yards receiving all four seasons with the Eagles — including consecutive 1,400-plus-yard seasons — has 339 total receptions in Philadelphia and was crucial member of two teams that played in the Super Bowl.

Yet, he was unhappy last season as the Eagles offense stagnated — leading to a change at offensive coordinator.

Philadelphia has already added receivers Dontayvion Wicks, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Elijah Moore this offseason. They could be serviceable No. 3 receivers behind DeVonta Smith — and now, Lemon.

“I think when we look at the wide receiver position again in the offseason, it felt like it was an area we wanted to address,” Roseman said. “We wanted to have a basketball team; a skillset of different players who can do different things and add to the offense and give us versatility and give us depth, hopefully to play for a long season.”

Smith was the key to a draft night deal in 2021, also with Dallas. The Eagles moved up from 12 to 10 to select Smith out of Alabama. He has three 1,000-yard receiving seasons and two Super Bowl appearances in five seasons with the Eagles.

Under Roseman, the Eagles have made a habit of draft-night deals.

They moved up from No. 10 to No. 9 in 2023 to get defensive tackle Jalen Carter. A year earlier, they went from 15 to 13 to get defensive tackle Jordan Davis. Roseman also moved up in 2019 and 2016. He traded out of the first round in 2018.

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