Leaning on Lemon?

PHILADELPHIA — During a red zone period on Saturday morning, Jalen Hurts had his sights set on WR Makai Lemon for what would have been a short end zone connection.

Hurts fired a pass in the direction of the rookie receiver, only Lemon was pulled down by LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr., drawing a flag.

Shortly thereafter, during an 11-on-11 period, Hurts scanned the field before electing to pounce on what was developing downfield. Lemon, dashing up the right sideline, had gained a half-step on defensive back Cooper DeJean. DeJean closed the gap as the ball arrived, though the throw proved to be a little long.

GETTY IMAGES/Mitchell Leff: Eagles rookie WR Makai Lemon has seen a good amount of first team reps in the first three training camp sessions.

“He’s a great player,” Lemon said of DeJean. “He makes me better each and every day, making sure I’m on my p’s and q’s. He’s one of the best at his position. I appreciate that when I’m at practice, I’m going against the best.”

While those targets ultimately proved fruitless, the big-picture takeaway should be that the Eagles are working the rookie into the mix early.

The catches will come, but for now, Lemon is testing his mettle against elite talent and gaining valuable experience.

Remember, Lemon was sidelined this spring with a hamstring injury, and his offseason focus, he said, centered around returning to full strength for training camp.

Leading into camp, it was fair to assume that Lemon would face a steep learning curve as he worked to make up for lost time. Through the first three practices, that hasn’t been the case, as Lemon has been repping with the first-team offense.

As the youngest player on the team at his position, Lemon has leaned on some of the veterans to pick up the tricks of the trade, like route details and what they see on a given play. Lemon, 22, considers himself a “student of the game,” eager to absorb as much information as possible.

In light of all the teaching points, there was one that particularly resonated.

“I’d say, maybe just try to perfect me at my play,” he said. “Don’t try to be like the next guy. Just perfect what my play is. I feel like that’s the biggest thing.”

Lemon profiles as a dynamic interior receiver, where his route-running precision and knack for finding the soft spots in coverage should be accentuated. In this timing-based offense under coordinator Sean Mannion, a player of Lemon’s skill set is expected to be especially critical as a chain-mover with run-after-the-catch ability.

While that figures to be his primary function, Lemon, who has also received reps with the punt returners, also noted one of the benefits of the offense being optionality.

“I feel that’s the good thing about the offense, that you can move guys all around,” he said. “Not just being in the slot, but all around. Whatever they need me to do, I’m making sure I’m available to do that.”

The production and volume have yet to manifest through three practices, sure, but context is required. The offense is in the midst of undergoing significant schematic changes that require the benefit of time on task, as evidenced by some of the early growing pains. The production is further compounded by the swarming defense it matches up with every day. It’s early enough to suggest that the quiet start from Lemon, and the offense, is a byproduct of all of that. What you’re ideally looking for at this stage is progression, with the expectation that it develops throughout the summer.

It’s worth mentioning that there was no onboarding process for Lemon once camp opened. The USC product jumped right in with the first team and has been involved. Likely aiding the acclimation process for Lemon is that the rookie spent some time in Houston during summer break, building chemistry and timing with Hurts. Offseason work between quarterbacks and receivers tends to breed familiarity and trust, which could prove key in kickstarting the passing game.

“It’s helped a lot,” he said. “So, it ain’t the first time we’re out here throwing certain routes. Making sure our chemistry is right in the offseason, and it only makes it better when we step on the field in training camp.”

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is the Eagles beat reporter for InsideTheBirds.com.