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PHILADELPHIA - Makai Lemon was on the phone with the Pittsburgh Steelers when the Eagles swooped in and traded up to bring him to Philadelphia.
The ESPN cameras were rolling when Lemon's agent told him, "Philly is taking you right now!"
What we know:
In order to cut the line ahead of their cross-state rivals, the Eagles needed help from their most hated enemy: The Dallas Cowboys.
The Eagles traded their No. 23 pick to the Dallas Cowboys to move up and select Lemon, who won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver this season after catching 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Trojans.
Lemon, a 5-foot-11 wideout, earned first-team All-America honors and is known for acrobatic catches and game-changing plays. "They’re getting a dawg," Lemon said. "This is ready to work for real. I ain’t doing no playing."
Eagles trade up for USC’s Makai Lemon as A.J. Brown faces possible move
The Philadelphia Eagles traded up to select USC receiver Makai Lemon with the 20th pick in the NFL draft, while star receiver A.J. Brown is reportedly on the trading block.
Philadelphia has also added receivers Dontayvion Wicks, Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and Elijah Moore this offseason, giving quarterback Jalen Hurts more options on offense.
Lemon grew up 25 miles from USC’s campus in Orange County and caught 131 passes for 1,928 yards and 14 touchdowns during his two full seasons with the Trojans.
"Philly is taking you right now!"
What they're saying:
Lemon, surrounded by family and friends, was on the phone with the Steelers when he learned he was going to a different Pennsylvania football team.
"Hey, why is Philly calling me?" Lemon asks while talking on the phone. The Eagles, perhaps pressured by AJ Brown's uncertain future, swapped first round picks with the Dallas Cowboys to move up two spots to pull off the heist.
"Philly just traded for you!" Lemon's agent is heard saying off-camera. "Philly is taking you right now!"
Lemon, 21, told the Associated Press after the whirlwind draft moment, "everything happened for a reason."
"They traded up, so it means a lot that they really wanted me," he said.
The Eagles shared GM Howie Roseman's side of the "call that's on everyone's mind."
"We just traded up, we're picking ya! You're an Eagle! Congrats, brother," Roseman says.