Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons²

Makai Lemon

Wide Receiver, Philadelphia Eagles · #9.

Player facts

Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Position: Wide Receiver
Number: 9
Born: Jun 2, 2004 (age 22)
Birthplace: Los Alamitos, CA, USA
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 192 lbs
College: USC
Experience: Rookie
Status: Active

Stats

2026 Offense

	REC	TGTS	YDS	AVG	LNG	FD	CAR	YDS	AVG	LNG
Regular Season	15	22	108	7.2	19	7	1	-5	-5.0	-5
Last 5 Games	15	22	108	7.9	19	7	1	-5	-5.0	-5
Career	15	22	108	7.2	19	7	1	-5	-5.0	-5

Advanced stats

2026 season through week 6. EPA per play is the points a play added to the team’s expected score; success rate is the share of plays that kept the offense on schedule; CPOE is completion percentage over what the throws’ difficulty predicted. Rank is by EPA per play.

	Plays	EPA/play	Success	CPOE	League rank
Receiving	28 targets	-0.15	39%		86th of 94

NFL data: nflverse, CC BY 4.0.

Recent games

			Receiving							Rushing					Fumbles
Date	Opponent	Result	REC	TGTS	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG	FD	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG	FUM	LST
Sun, Oct 11	vs JAX	L 19-17	5	7	43	8.6	0	18	2	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Sun, Oct 4	vs LAR	L 24-20	3	6	27	9.0	0	13	2	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Mon, Sep 28	@ CHI	L 27-7	3	4	29	9.7	0	19	2	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Sun, Sep 20	@ TEN	W 24-20	1	1	14	14.0	0	14	1	1	-5	-5.0	0	-5	0	0
Sun, Sep 13	vs WSH	W 24-22	3	4	-5	-1.7	0	3	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0

Last 5 games. Click a game for its box score.

About

Makai Lemon (born June 2, 2004) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans, winning the 2025 Fred Biletnikoff Award, and was selected by the Eagles in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft.

From Wikipedia’s article on Makai Lemon, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.¹

Background

Early life

Lemon was born on June 2, 2004 in Los Alamitos, California. He grew up playing football as a wide receiver and was close friends with quarterback Malachi Nelson, with them playing for the same Pop Warner team and winning a national championship. He initially attended La Mirada High School, where he caught 57 receptions for 784 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman, in addition to four interceptions as a defensive back on defense. He received his first scholarship offer from the Colorado Buffaloes during the first month of his freshman season.

After his freshman season, Lemon transferred to Los Alamitos High School as a sophomore, where he joined Malachi Nelson. In the spring 2021 season, he caught 43 passes for 756 yards and nine touchdowns, being named first-team all-state by MaxPreps. He then recorded 65 receptions for 1,062 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior in 2021. He was named first-team junior All-American and first-team all-state by MaxPreps. As a senior, he was named first-team All-American and first-team all state after totaling 69 receptions for 1,044 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Lemon was an Under Armour All-American and an invitee to the Polynesian Bowl. He was ranked a five-star recruit and the 13th-best player nationally by ESPN. He initially committed to play college football for the Oklahoma Sooners along with Malachi Nelson. However, he later flipped his commitment along with Nelson to the USC Trojans, after coach Lincoln Riley left the Sooners for the Trojans.

College career

As a freshman at USC in 2023, Lemon saw limited playing time and caught six passes for 88 yards. Towards the end of the season, he played at cornerback as well as wide receiver due to injuries to the Trojans' players. In 2024, Lemon had a breakout game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, totaling 256 all-purpose yards while scoring a touchdown. He saw more action as the 2024 season went on and finished as USC's leading receiver with 52 receptions for 764 yards.

Lemon was the recipient of the 2025 Fred Biletnikoff Award, surpassing fellow finalists Skyler Bell of UConn and Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State. He is the second Biletnikoff winner in USC football history, following Marqise Lee in 2012. On December 17, 2025, Lemon declared for the 2026 NFL draft.