USC’s Makai Lemon was part of a major drama on NFL draft night. Thursday’s first round created a memorable plot twist, as Eagles Wire explains:
“In a wild draft night moment caught on video, the Eagles traded up with the Cowboys to No. 20 and selected USC wide receiver Makai Lemon while he was on the phone with the Steelers at No. 21—prompting a stunned reaction: “Why is Philly calling me?”
“After watching the top offensive tackles come off the board, the Eagles traded picks No. 23, 114 & 137 to Dallas for pick 20 and a 7th round pick. With the move, Philadelphia is all but assured of trading A.J. Brown and rolling with a group of wide receivers that includes DeVonta Smith, Lemon, Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore, Dontayvion Wicks, Johnny Wilson, and others.”
We wrote before the draft that if Makai Lemon fell on the draft board — as was the case — the night could still be viewed as a success as long as the USC receiver landed in a great situation. The Steelers have had a lot of quarterback problems over the years and are starting fresh with a new head coach this season. The Eagles, on the other hand, have Jalen Hurts at quarterback, a new offensive coordinator, and a championship team with big expectations and a quality defense.
It’s a great spot for Makai Lemon. It’s a very good thing the Eagles were willing and able to trade up and bump off the Steelers in this unexpected Pennsylvania drama on draft night in Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Makai Lemon called by Steelers, but Eagles traded up and swiped him