Makai Lemon Appreciates Guidance From Devonta Smith As His Nfl Career Begins

Makai Lemon appreciates guidance from DeVonta Smith as his NFL career begins originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

If Makai Lemon needs any advice as he begins his NFL career, the first-round pick USC doesn’t have to go far to find it.

Just one locker over.

There’s a reason the Eagles gave Lemon the locker stall (which used to belong to A.J. Brown) right next to DeVonta Smith at the team’s training complex.

“It means a lot, really,” Lemon said this week when asked about Smith’s guidance. “Him being a role model, being the type of receiver he is in the game, just the type of person he is off the field, it’s kind of similar to how I move. 

“It’s definitely cool to have him show me the ways. Showing me veteran ways as a young rookie. I definitely appreciate him for that.”

If anyone knows what it’s like to be a first-round receiver in Philadelphia, it’s Smith. He went through this back in 2021 when the Eagles drafted him with the No. 10 overall pick out of Alabama. Five years later, the Eagles drafted Lemon with pick No. 20 out of USC.

And now Smith and Lemon are two important pieces of the Eagles’ new-look offense in 2026.

So as he thought back to his first NFL game, Smith had some sage advice for his rookie teammate.

“Just go out there and be you, man,” Smith said. “Make the plays when they come to you. You can’t dwell on if something goes wrong. That’s part of the game, that’s the flow of the game.

“No one in this league will have a perfect game. Something is going to happen, whether you miss a block, miss a jump ball, whether it’s you run a wrong route. No one has a perfect game. Something is going to happen so it’s all about how you respond to it.”

Lemon already learned that lesson in the preseason. After missing most of training camp with a hamstring injury, Lemon returned for the third and final preseason game and it didn’t go well. He was targeted 5 times and had just 3 catches for 3 yards, which included a drop that ended up being an interception. He also muffed a bouncing punt.

At one point during that game, Smith found Lemon on the sideline and delivered that important message.

“Yeah, you just gotta go out there and be you,” Smith recalled. “Stuff happens.”

An important part of the relationship between Smith and Lemon is guidance. As it pertains to body maintenance, receivers coach Aaron Moorehead has told Lemon, “Whatever Smitty does, you do.”

That’s advice that Lemon has taken to heart. While he doesn’t copy Smith’s routine exactly, he picks and chooses elements to add to his own. As the unquestioned WR1 this year, Smith has taken on a more vocal leadership role this season at the urging of Moorehead.

Lemon said Smith is a “real open guy” so he never feels like he’s bugging him with questions.

“Like I always tell him, I’m always here if you need me,” Smith said. “I’m not going to bother you much. But if you need something, you can just come and talk to me anytime. The reason they put him right here. We chop it up a lot, whether it’s football, life stuff, things like that. I think he does a good job. I don’t think he needs to rely on me too much.”

After missing so much time this spring and summer with hamstring injuries, Lemon has been healthy for a few weeks and on Friday said he feels completely caught up for Week 1.

Lemon’s parents will be in attendance at the Linc on Sunday and Lemon said it’s hard to put into words just how excited he is to play in his NFL debut. Lemon doesn’t have a very unique pre-game routine, but said one element he plans on carrying over from his college career is an early jog around the field before warmups.

That jog will be in a stadium that’s still empty. But Lemon can’t wait to see what it’ll be like a bit later when 67,000 rabid Eagles fans file in for his first NFL game.

“Shoot, I’m trying to see what the Linc and all the fans talking ‘bout,” Lemon said. “Definitely hear a lot of good things about the fans, the energy. Definitely excited to go out there and play in front of them.”

Smith knows what that’s like too. But this is something Lemon needs to experience for himself.