Makai Lemon’s ex-coaches praise new Eagle’s approach, drive: ‘You drafted the guy that’s going to match the city’s intensity’
Lemon is no laid-back Californian. The wide receiver's former coaches describe a focused player who is at his best when the stakes are highest.
Makai Lemon has never played on a football team outside of his native Southern California. But when it comes to all things football, the former USC wideout isn’t exactly Mr. California Cool.
It might not appear that way on the surface. Lemon is an introvert, according to Ray Fenton, his former coach at Los Alamitos High School, located roughly 25 miles southeast of Los Angeles. At practices, Fenton would regularly prod Lemon with a request.
“‘Kai, will you do me a favor? Will you say more than three words today to me?’” Fenton recalled with a laugh.
Lemon’s soft-spoken nature shouldn’t be mistaken for nonchalance, though. In fact, it’s the opposite, according to Fenton.
“It’s no-nonsense,” Fenton said. “‘Let’s play. There’s no time to be hanging out and talking.’”
» READ MORE: Beyond the grade: 360-degree analysis of Eagles Day 1 pick Makai Lemon
Intensity has emanated from Lemon since Fenton met him as a high school freshman. Fenton calls it the “war gene,” and it transcends the gridiron, too. It was on display in his interview on the draft stage in Pittsburgh on Thursday night, moments after the Eagles traded up to take him with the No. 20 overall pick.
When asked what the fan base will love most about him, Lemon turned his back to the camera and faced a group of Eagles fans at the front of the crowd. His facial expressions were obscured, but passion punctuated every word of his brief response.
“They getting a dawg,” Lemon said. “It’s ready to work, for real. I ain’t doing no playing.”
No joke: Lemon will play plenty in his rookie season with the Eagles. With A.J. Brown likely to become a New England Patriot post-June 1, according to ESPN, Lemon could step into the WR2 role in the Eagles’ passing attack behind DeVonta Smith.
At 5-foot-11, 194 pounds, can the undersized Lemon translate the success he had at USC in 2025, when he won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver, to the next level?
His production and athleticism got him this far, but according to Fenton, his grit will be what separates him.
“You have a perception of us out here in California, pretty laid-back, and we have a perception of you guys in Philadelphia, man, you don’t play,” Fenton said. “It’s either on [or] off, just like how ’Kai is, right? And I think you guys even booed Santa Claus one time. So you guys are pretty intense over there.
“You drafted the guy that’s going to match the city’s intensity when it comes to pro football.”
A mentality that transcends size
In mid-November of last year, typically temperate Los Angeles did its best impression of the Northeast. Rain ravaged the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for all four quarters of USC’s clash with Iowa.
Lemon must have missed the memo that rainy conditions often lead to dropped passes and Slip ’N Slide-esque stumbles for receivers, especially those not accustomed to playing in inclement weather.
“To sit there and watch him play, you would think, man, the sun was out, and it was perfectly 75-, 80-degree weather,” said Dennis Simmons, the receivers coach at USC.
» READ MORE: Eagles roundtable: What are the team’s biggest questions coming out of the draft?
That game — in which Lemon posted 153 yards and a touchdown on 10 receptions — showcased more than just his skill set. Fenton said he also saw evidence of the receiver’s mental makeup.
“[Former Ohio State coach] Jim Tressel said that obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eye off the goal,” Fenton said. “Well, [Lemon’s] eye is always on the goal, and he doesn’t see that it’s raining. He just is going to go get the ball.”
Lemon is programmed to overcome obstacles, consciously or not. That’s why he is adept at forcing missed tackles and generating yards after contact. According to Pro Football Focus, Lemon forced 21 missed tackles and registered 502 yards after catch in 2025 (No. 3 and No. 7, respectively, among draft-eligible FBS receivers).
Fenton said that ability is the result of a couple of traits. While Lemon might be relatively short (26th percentile in height, according to MockDraftable), Fenton called his leg and core strength “underestimated,” making him difficult to bring down.
Lemon built up his strength over time. His vision, the other characteristic behind his YAC-producing prowess, is innate, Fenton said.
“When he played for us, he didn’t even see that first defender,” Fenton said. “He knew he was going to make that guy miss. It was the second and third defender that he was seeing down the road, that he was setting up.”
Lemon played over 75% of his snaps out of the slot, and as a result, he did most of his damage over the middle of the field. In that area, slot receivers are often required to navigate traffic and make difficult catches.
Despite his size, Lemon did both. He dropped just two passes in 2025 (four total in three seasons at USC) and made 71.4% of his contested catches, according to PFF. There are plenty of examples on film of Lemon climbing the ladder over defensive backs and plucking the ball out of the air.
Simmons said Lemon plays bigger than his actual frame. Lemon agreed, attributing his ability to overcome his size to his toughness.
“I think it’s just the mentality and the heart that you play with,” Lemon said. “The body type, you can get fooled by that. But you know your heart, and your mentality that you approach to the game can take you a lot farther than just your height and your size.”
Long before his Biletnikoff campaign, Lemon channeled that same tough mentality while he was buried down the depth chart as a freshman. Due to a rash of injuries on the defensive side of the ball that season, the USC coaches asked Lemon if he would temporarily switch to cornerback, a position he also played in high school.
He didn’t complain. He didn’t transfer the following year. He embraced the opportunity and kept working, Howie Roseman explained.
“That adversity wasn’t going to deter him from going forward in achieving his goals,” the Eagles general manager said. “He wanted to do it there. He’s a very determined guy. He’s got a great work ethic. He loves football, and I think all those things play out when you see stories like that.”
A quarterback’s best friend
At Los Alamitos, Fenton often made “Lemonade” out of Lemon.
“Lemonade” was the name of a play that gave the receiver free rein in the offense. Fenton installed it in 2022, Lemon’s senior season, ahead of a game against American Heritage in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a contest that was televised nationally on ESPN.
When Fenton called the play, Lemon had the choice to line up anywhere, motion any way he wanted, and find a way to get open because the ball was coming to him. Los Alamitos lost the game, but Lemon had plenty of “Lemonade,” finishing with nearly 200 yards and three touchdowns on 17 receptions.
“Everybody can win when facing somebody who’s certainly less talented, and he’ll win those, too,” Fenton said. “But the bigger the game, the bigger the moment, the better he plays, the more he’s locked in.”
Sound familiar? Jalen Hurts, Lemon’s new quarterback, has earned a reputation for his performances in big games, most notably his pair of Super Bowl appearances.
That isn’t the only similarity between the new teammates. Simmons, who coached outside receivers at Oklahoma while Hurts was the program’s quarterback in 2019, pointed out their similar approaches to the game. Lemon is a “football nerd,” Simmons said, who peppered him with questions at every installation.
Those questions aren’t limited to business hours. Chad Savage, USC’s inside receivers coach, said Lemon would send him video clips late at night and ask about the nuances required to perfect certain routes.
“He is a very direct, to the point, detail-oriented type individual,” Simmons said. “And I think Philly fans will be able to resonate [with] that. Because even their quarterback Jalen Hurts’ personality is business-forward, straightforward. All about, ‘OK, what do I need to accomplish?’ Or, ‘What are we trying to get done here?’ type mentality.”
Lemon, less than 24 hours into his Eagles career, already made his no-nonsense nature clear to Hurts.
“Jalen Hurts texted me,” Lemon said on Friday. “Just reaching out, congratulating me, and just letting him know, I’m ready to get to work.”
Lemon said he is looking forward to building a connection with his new quarterback. Simmons surmised that it won’t be difficult given the receiver’s efficiency. No matter the quality of the pass, Lemon excels at adjusting and contorting his body to make the catch.
“I liken it to a guy going out and playing in the park with his dog,” Simmons said. “You throw that stick out there, that dog goes and catches it. He ain’t asking, ‘How you throwing it?’ Or, ‘Hey, it was supposed to be over here.’ He goes and catches it and brings it back. And I think that’s what’s going to [endear] Makai to a guy like Hurts.”
To Fenton, that desire to come down with the football is just another example of Lemon’s “war gene.”
“He’s not going to lose,” Fenton said. “It could be a 50-50 ball, or it could be the game for the team. He wants to do anything to help.”
Lemon might not command attention with his words, Fenton said, as he begins the next phase of his football career. He might not talk his coaches’ ears off at practice.
But Fenton insisted that his play will speak for itself.
“Underestimate him, right?” Fenton said. “Because of his demeanor. And then see what happens when the lights turn on.
“By the time you figure it out, it’s too late.”
