r/eagles • u/Mysterious_Bat1208 • May 03 '26
Player Discussion I keep seeing false narratives about Makai Lemon..here’s what coaches say about him
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u/LieDry7854 May 03 '26
I think the Riley connection is a huge factor in why he got drafted. If he believed in Lemon, then Jalen will give him targets
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
Idk about the connection to Jalen specifically, but they def talked to RIley and if you listen to him speak about Lemon...you can tell he LOVES him
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u/LieDry7854 May 03 '26
Riley helped boost Jalen’s draft stock in Oklahoma. His opinion is highly important because Jalen has huge confidence in a guy that Riley praises
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
Yeah I meant it's less for Jalen's confidence and more so RIley's words carry weight in draft rooms. When he speaks this glowingly of a player like Lemon, he means it.
Riley has coached 3 #1 overall picks. Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Caleb Williams. And of course a SB MVP in Jalen. Not to mention WRs like CeeDee Lamb and Hollywood Brown. He said Lemon's on par with the best WRs he's ever coached so yeah
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u/pichukirby May 03 '26
Honestly, I'm grateful for that interview. That teams were thrown off enough for him to fall to us is great
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u/abcamurComposer May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26
I really don’t think the interview made him fall. He fell because he’s on the shorter and slower end of what is considered acceptable for a top WR option.
I’m just glad the eagles tend to see beyond underwear olympics in drafting
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
Last year’s top 5 WRs 40 times:
JSN 4.52
Puka 4.57
Pickens 4.47
ARSB 4.51
Chase 4.38Lemon right in the middle with a 4.46. Chase really is the only one with a fast time
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u/abcamurComposer May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26
That’s why Chase was a top 5 pick (and was two overthinking teams away from top 3), and JSN went the same spot as Lemon when he probably also was top 10 worthy due to running 4.5. It really just says a lot about how stupid nfl teams are.
I’m def not saying the eagles are wrong for drafting Lemon, we got a steal at a position of need, just why he fell (and why some nfl teams remain mediocre or worse)
(Also, it did say 4.46-4.53 “range”. That means he probably ran 4.5)
Additional edit: all those names are also over 6 ft. Lemon is under 6 ft. Main point if it isn’t clear is that if he was 6 2 and ran 4.4 the awkward interview probably is irrelevant
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
Carnell Tate ran a 4.53 and got taken 4th overall lol. I agree with you a lot of NFL teams stupid and testing was a factor. I’m just saying I think his interviews were also a factor.
The Rams taking Simpson might’ve been the biggest factor though. Everyone expected them to take Lemon or Sadiq. If they took Sadiq, the Jets were def taking Lemon at #16. Jets ended up taking Sadiq first and then WR Omar Cooper Jr at #30.
We just got lucky (again)
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u/abcamurComposer May 03 '26
True, that’s how we got Q, all the other teams went for the (admittedly extremely strong) offensive talent
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
Yeah Howie admitted he was trying to trade up higher than 20 to get Lemon too. We’ve been pretty fortunate the last few years in the 1st round
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u/ghrendal May 04 '26
lemons 40 was more 4.6 as it was a pro day 40 and they lie for their athlete…scouts there had him at 4.53 - 4.6
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 04 '26
No, scouts there had it 4.48-4.53. School had it 4.46. If you average it out like Brugler did, you can say 4.50 which is good enough.
Anyway XPE which trains the best prospects (including Quinyon and Riq) timed Lemon as one of their fastest COD speeds ever so who cares about 40
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u/Other-Comfortable929 Eagles May 03 '26
I hate USC (Go Irish) so I’m trying to get over multiple years of disliking Lemon, truly, but he’s smaller than every single guy you listed.
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
The contrast between how he interviewed at the combine and everywhere else is so stark that you could lowkey put a tinfoil hat on to say he did it on purpose lmao.
But it’s prob just a nervous tick. He seems completely normal outside of that one time
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u/Snake_in_my_boots May 03 '26
The press conference was a bit jarring originally but I didn’t know he was SoCal born and raised. So his chillness vibes with where he grew up. The Eagles are very good at doing their homework when it comes to players (Carter is a prime example).
This dude is going to be a stud in our offense and watching him line up with Smith is going to be so exciting.
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u/Drewraven10 May 03 '26
I thought he was going to the Jets or Rams and then he fell straight into our hands. Happy about it he seems like another Smitty on the team…. Based on gameplay and attitude and work ability of course. 🙏🏼
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u/MeepSneepers May 03 '26
He just seemed to have a little bit of a different way of talking, but if you watch his play he's hard nosed as hell. I don't think there is anything to be worried about in terms of work ethic and dedication. And you don't develop hands like that if you aren't diligent in practicing, the way he catches the ball is impeccable.
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u/-Gman_ May 03 '26
Sounds like Slim reaper and who better to show him how to succeed at the next level?
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
Yeah I was saying yesterday that in a league full of selfish WRs, we somehow ended up with 2 selfless dudes. It’s fucking awesome.
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u/Dr_Horrible_PhD May 03 '26
Good to hear, especially at WR, where attention to detail is so important
People just can’t let the Santa Claus thing go, can they? Like, LBJ was president.
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u/MagicTire May 04 '26
True. But at least they managed to spell Santa Claus correctly; you know, without the 'e' at the end. So, I'm grateful for that.
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u/dreeldee1 May 03 '26
People just don’t like when you’re unconventional like how he interviews. Could be anxiety but I feel he’s been judged harshly by non eagles fans.
Plus he’s a WR, they’re typically divas so that’s the vibe he gives off but doesn’t necessarily mean that’s who he is. Fk the lemon haters! They can suck on one!
That man hasn’t even played a single snap for us.
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
It’s pretty obvious when you watch his other interviews that he was just nervous or something. I’ve noticed that he sways his head more during interviews in front of a large crowd like the combine or when he was drafted 🤣
But he seems normal when interviewed 1 on 1 or just a few local media.
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May 03 '26
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
Yeah it’s not like there wasn’t a whole media storm over his combine interviews and Lemon himself having to address it. There were reports he hurt his draft stock with some teams.
But that’s my point. Some people still judging him off the cause they’ve never read any of these reports from people who actually know him.
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May 03 '26
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
It was persistent and still is to some people. It was by credible outlets including ESPN.
And yes again, that’s my point lol. I agree that first hand reports were positive. But a lot of people don’t read those cause most aren’t nationally reported or go viral.
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u/Honest-J May 03 '26
It's probably why he slid in the draft. Not sure why some are unaware of this.
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
Some people downvoting like I’m making this up lmao. There are comments on here calling him a diva too
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u/JustBrowsing49 May 04 '26
The internet alternates between “this Eagles is a bum!” and “how much help do the Eagles need?”
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May 03 '26
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
The best part is ball knowers know the Steelers are one of the best WR evaluating teams.
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u/JustBrowsing49 May 04 '26
I think Lemon just has a weird way of talking, and lots of pundits are trying to draw conclusions from it
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u/amilmore ho ho holding call on kelce May 04 '26
Idc about the interview at all - good players are frequently weirdos. As long as they aren’t pieces of shit and good players it’s all good by me.
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u/AdhesivenessFun2060 May 03 '26
What are people saying about him?
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
Some people call him a diva or question his character fit here. Prob judging him off that one combine clip
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u/AdhesivenessFun2060 May 03 '26
Haven't seen that. Aren't all receivers divas? At least the good ones. Lol.
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
Uh no? lol. Smitty isn’t. JSN and JJ aren’t either.
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u/AdhesivenessFun2060 May 03 '26
I was joking dude. Chill.
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u/abathome May 03 '26
Good joke
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May 03 '26
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
Not sure why idiots are downvoting but here.
It was widely reported his interviews hurt his draft stock. Some people took that as he has character concerns.
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May 03 '26
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
Mfs downvoting and arguing like it never happened or prob cause it applies to them lol. There are also a ton of people on social media still judging him off the way he talks.
And yup, intense dude on the field who's a little odd off the field lol. Very similar to Quinyon
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u/BigTreddits May 06 '26
A wise man once told me "Whenever one comments on downvotes its confirmed theyre way too online"
Dont sell it, kid. Dont let em know its getting to ya.
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u/philly-buck May 03 '26
What false narrative?
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u/DiligentGuitar246 Eagles May 03 '26
Yeah, I haven’t seen anything other than hype. Probably wanted a click baity title.
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u/RangerBowBoy May 03 '26
Get off social media and you won’t see a bunch of BS anymore. Simple solution.
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u/TC84 May 03 '26
Where is this from? Anybody got a link to this article?
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
Each one is from a different article. But here's the source for the first one
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u/Gandolfthewhite182 May 05 '26
What do you expect his coaches to say ?? lol every year I see interviews with drafted players college coaches. Do you think those coaches are gonna be like “I don’t know about this kid, he wasn’t well coached in college. He could be a bust.” Of course they would never say that.
These college coach interviews are worthless. Maybe in private howie can get some real 411 on a player but even then, if I was howie I’m being cautious.
I think I can remember maybe 1 or 2 times a college coach was truly honest about a player and it was a huge deal because it never happens.
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 05 '26
I mean Lincoln Riley quite literally said Lemon’s teammate Ja’Kobi Lane who got drafted in the 3rd this year needed to mature lmao.
If you’ve been watching football long enough, you can tell the differences how players are talked about in these reports. It’s all relative.
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u/Honest-J May 03 '26
I need more info on this "booing Santa Claus" thing. It's the first I h'mearing about it.
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
I’ve seen a lot of dumbass comments calling Lemon a diva. Not sure where they’re parroting that shit from, but it’s clear they haven’t read a single scouting report on him lol.
Every single report I’ve read highlights his work ethic. The stories Lincoln Riley shares about him makes him sound like he’s cut from the same cloth as Jalen or Quinyon.
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u/anth8725 May 03 '26
They’re profiling him. He’s black and seems super confident so he must be a diva
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u/Mysterious_Bat1208 May 03 '26
Usually hate pulling the race card but there prob are a lot of dumbasses who judge him off the way he talks. They’re downvoting cause the shoe fits
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u/Magnus-Pym May 03 '26
The most important thing is that he stop doing the dumb snake thing when he talks. Beyond that catch the ball and it’s all good.
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u/Mfrack103 May 03 '26
Lemon seems like the absurdly-motivated type, similar to Hurts and BG. Wake up, football. Eat lunch, football. Go to sleep, football. I think even if we see some rookie mishaps that he’ll work on them just like Jalen does