For a player of Makai Lemon’s caliber, NFL expectations should be high, but pundits have not been unified in their views of the USC star. Lemon should be a great asset to the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense, and he could become a favorite for Jalen Hurts, which creates a variety of projections for what his rookie season will look like.
In a recent article, Geoffrey A Knox takes a look at ESPN analyst Mike Clay’s projection for Makai Lemon’s rookie season:
ESPN’s Mike Clay recently offered a nice write-up. He released his projections for rookie leaders across 10 major statistical categories. You guessed it. The Eagles’ rookie wide receiver landed among impressive company.
“Clay projects Lemon to finish third among all rookies in receiving yards (883) while tying for third in receiving touchdowns (five). That would place him behind only Tennessee Titans star Carnell Tate and New Orleans Saints rookie Jordyn Tyson in projected receiving production.
Here is what Mike Clay said:
“The outlook for receivers selected from pick No. 20 through the third round is solid but unspectacular. Since 2012, there are 155 WRs in that range who played at least one snap as a rookie. Of that group, 23 (14.8%) reached 800 receiving yards, and 23 hit seven receiving touchdowns. Lemon and the Browns’ duo (Concepcion and Denzel Boston) have a path to substantial Year 1 workloads, but expectations should be kept in check.”
Makai Lemon showed he can be a #1 receiver at USC, as he was dubbed the best receiver in college football last season. His play style also allows him to be a perfect complement to the #2 receiver behind Devonta Smith. Regardless of how you slice it, Lemon can fit any role, and that is why it is safe to assume he will have a productive year 1.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Makai Lemon is projected to have big NFL rookie season with Eagles
Reporting by Micah Huff, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
