'why Is Philly Calling Me?' Usc's Makai Lemon Was On The Phone With Another Team When Eagles Swooped In

Former USC receiver Makai Lemon was successful Pittsburgh connected Thursday nighttime — and it appeared he would beryllium staying location agelong term.

Until it very abruptly didn’t.

About 2 hours into the first information of nan NFL draft, Lemon was sitting successful nan greenish room — nan backstage area for players waiting to beryllium picked — erstwhile he received a telephone from nan big city’s location team. A ceremony erupted astir the erstwhile Los Alamitos High star arsenic he was informed that nan Steelers were astir to prime him pinch nan 21st wide pick.

Lemon had 1 question:

“Why is Philly calling me?”

It turns retired that Pittsburgh wide head Omar Khan was a spot premature pinch nan call. The Dallas Cowboys were still connected nan timepiece astatine No. 20 but were expected to draught a protect player. And that’s what they did pinch UCF separator rusher Malachi Lawrence — but only aft trading down pinch an NFC East rival astatine No. 23.

The Philadelphia Eagles pulled disconnected nan last-second woody to move up of nan Steelers and snatch distant Lemon successful existent time. Footage from nan greenish room shows a confused Lemon still connected nan telephone pinch Pittsburgh but being told by personification successful nan room pinch him: “Philly conscionable traded for you! ... Philly’s taking you correct now!”

“I answered nan telephone and it was nan Steelers,” Lemon told reporters afterward. “My telephone kept ringing. I look and it was nan Eagles. They traded up, and they were going to prime me. I consciousness for illustration everything happened for a reason. They traded up, truthful it intends a batch that they really wanted me. So I’m all-in, and they’re going to get everything that I’ve got.”

Eagles wide head Howie Roseman acknowledged successful a news convention that “it took america a mates minutes to interaction nan player” aft they had moved into position to prime him.

“The timepiece sewage down a small spot little than we would person liked,” Roseman said, “but we were capable to get successful touch pinch him and evidently prime him.”

Roseman was asked if nan Eagles made nan move because they thought nan Steelers were astir to draught Lemon astatine No. 21.

“We conscionable felt for illustration this was a subordinate that we wanted to spell up and get, conscionable based connected wherever our committee was astatine that time, wherever we were picking,” Roseman said. “Just felt for illustration it made a batch of consciousness based connected our board. And obviously, erstwhile you person a subordinate that you for illustration that’s classed higher connected your committee than wherever you’re picking, you deliberation astatine each prime that he’s going to beryllium selected.

“That’s conscionable nan measurement nan draught is, you deliberation everyone’s reasoning nan measurement that you are. And truthful surely for us, we didn’t want to beryllium connected our hands. We wanted to spell get him. And truthful that’s why I made a trade.”

The Steelers pivoted quickly, choosing Arizona State violative tackle Max Iheanachor moments later.

Last play astatine USC, Lemon was a statement All-American and won nan Biletnikoff Award for outstanding receiver aft making 79 catches for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns. In his 3 seasons pinch nan Trojans, Lemon had 137 catches for 2,008 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Lemon’s presence successful Philadelphia would look to bespeak that nan Eagles are fresh to move connected from prima receiver A.J. Brown, who has been rumored to beryllium connected nan trading block. If they hold until June 1 to waste and acquisition Brown, nan Eagles would beryllium capable to divided his $40-million net headdress deed complete 2 seasons.

Roseman didn’t person immoderate ray to shed connected nan matter Thursday night.

“A.J. is simply a personnel of nan Eagles,” Roseman said. “We don’t person immoderate trades that person been made aliases that are done. We’re taking this 1 time astatine a time. We’re going to look to amended nan squad tomorrow. We’ll proceed to reside thing we person to pinch our roster, not only done this draught weekend, but we’ll proceed to look for ways to amended nan squad passim nan offseason and into training camp.”