Eagles hit with disappointing Makai Lemon report

The Philadelphia Eagles went the extra mile to get USC star wide receiver Makai Lemon in the draft.

Knowing that A.J. Brown would most likely be traded, they wanted someone else to pick up some of the slack, so they targeted this class's top slot specialist.

However, he hasn't been able to do much so far. He missed time in spring workouts with a lower-leg injury, and he's catching up now in training camp.

That said, it looks like he's far behind. According to Bleeding Green Nation’s Brandon Lee Gowton, the rookie out of USC has been rather underwhelming thus far. 

Makai Lemon has been underwhelming in training camp

“I’ve yet to see any kind of ‘wow’ factor with Lemon,” Gowton admitted. “He didn’t look very fast on a vertical target where the ball landed in front of him. Not sure if that incompletion was an overthrow or if he simply didn’t get to where Hurts was expecting him to be.”

Of course, it's still too early to sound the alarms. He didn't get to do much early in the offseason because of the injury, and some players need more time to adjust to the pros.

The Eagles used the No. 20 pick to get him, and they would certainly want to have him be a factor right out of the gate. That might not be on the table right now.

“Ultimately, I think the Eagles are putting Lemon in a tough spot as a rookie. They really need him to be ready to contribute in a significant way as a rookie,” he continued. “To this point, I’m not ready to say I feel good about his chances in that regard. Of course, plenty of time for that to change between now and Week 1.”

Lemon made 12 appearances (11 starts) in his final collegiate season, piling up 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Trojans, per Football Reference.

There are some legitimate concerns about his size and how it might limit him to living in the slot in the pros, but he's got the craftiness and big-play skills that made him worth the gamble. 

Will it pay off?