The biggest obstacle in Makai Lemon’s NFL journey may not be the competition. Instead, it could be the expectations attached to his name. The Philadelphia Eagles drafted him in the first round (20th overall pick) earlier this offseason after playing three seasons with the USC Trojans in college. But former Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho believes that being a first-round pick might impact Lemon’s career, explaining why he thinks so.

“I don’t think Makai Lemon is a first-round talent as it pertains to Malik Nabers, Marvin Harrison, CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson,” said Acho on the Speakeasy podcast. “I don’t think he is a first-round talent. But in a weaker wide receiver class, when there was a dearth of top wide receivers, Carnell Tate ends up going top five overall. Now, Makai Lemon gets overdrafted, and that’s really probably going to be used against him the entirety of his career.”

Emmanuel’s argument revolves around the 22-year-old WR’s alleged undeserved first-round status. Deeming the 2026 Draft pool a weaker class, Acho explained that if there were elite wide receivers, Makai Lemon would not have been drafted so early in the first round. If we compare the 2026 Draft class to the 2024 Draft class, there are a lot of reasons to call the recent draft class weak.

According to ESPN’s Playmaker Projections, the 2024 class featured 13 wide receivers who achieved a “Playmaker Score” of 400 or higher. Meanwhile, the 2026 class only produced 8 wide receivers hitting that elite benchmark. But does that define Lemon as undeserving of the first-round status?

In three seasons of his collegiate career, Makai Lemon played 33 games for the USC Trojans and posted 2,008 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. But if we compare Lemon with Malik Nabers, the analysis leans more towards Acho’s assessment of the wide receiver. Nabers played 38 collegiate career games for LSU, recording 3,003 receiving yards and 21 TDs for the team.

Acho’s point is clear. Makai Lemon needs to prove that he wasn’t overdrafted and keep producing elite numbers. If he fails to do so, he will be criticized about his draft status for the rest of his career, according to the former Eagles linebacker.

Take Sam Darnold as an example. The New York Jets selected him in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. In eight seasons, he has played for the Jets, the Carolina Panthers, the San Francisco 49ers, the Minnesota Vikings, and even led the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl LX victory as their starting QB. Yet, many believe that Sam Darnold has yet to justify being a first-round pick.