Eagles Draft Makai Lemon, Analyzing Oline Picks and The Next Jordan Maialata

TL;DR

The Eagles' 2025 draft class is broken down, highlighting Makai Lemon's slot receiver upside, two massive offensive linemen, and a Nigerian athletic freak with zero football experience.

Key Points

• 1.Makai Lemon was a value steal at pick 20. The Biletnikoff Award-winning USC receiver was projected top-15 but slid, prompting Howie Roseman to trade up ahead of the Steelers; comparisons include Amon-Ra St. Brown and Puka Nacua.
• 2.Eli Sters gives the Eagles a versatile dual-threat tight end. The Vanderbilt second-round pick lacks ideal size but breaks tackles, runs crisp routes, and expands offensive personnel groupings to 12 and 13 personnel sets under Kellen Moore's motion-heavy scheme.
• 3.The Eagles addressed offensive line with two monstrous picks. Third-round pick Markel Bell (6'9", ~350 lbs) is a power/pass-protection tackle suited for a more downhill run scheme, while sixth-round pick Micah Morris (~6'5", ~340 lbs) adds explosive athleticism with a 30-inch vertical and sub-5.0 forty.
• 4.Or Bernard is the 'Next Jordan Maialata' — a Nigerian athlete who has never played football. The seventh-round pick is 6'4.5", 326 lbs, 6% body fat, with a 39-inch vertical and 10'10" broad jump, but shows stiffness in change-of-direction drills and faces a steep developmental learning curve.
• 5.Bernard's ceiling is enormous but his path mirrors Maialata's difficult journey. Maialata took two years under coach Jeff Stoutland before contributing; Bernard will work with Clint Hurtt and Jeremiah Washburn, and is projected as a 3-technique or 4-technique interior lineman rather than an edge rusher.
• 6.Trading two third-round picks for Jonathan Gannon-era pass rusher Jonathan Greenard was equally significant. After losing Jalen Phillips to a $120M deal, the Eagles acquired Greenard from the Vikings to fill the edge defender void, with Howie Roseman's cap maneuvering and Jeffrey Lurie's spending drawing praise.