How Makai Lemon fits in Eagles' 'basketball' squad of wide receivers

Shortly after the call — well, the two calls — that changed Makai Lemon’s life, there was the group text that connected the Philadelphia Eagles’ newest wide receiver with his future quarterback.Makai, meet Jalen Hurts.Lincoln Riley created the group text. He coached both players. Lemon, at USC. Hurts, at Oklahoma. Riley witnessed them elevate the structures of top-8 total offenses in which Hurts was a Heisman Trophy runner-up, and Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver. Riley knows their disciplines and dispositions. They have different personalities. But they’re both “throwback mentality type players,” Riley said. They’re very serious about their craft. They love the game. They’re team-oriented in their thinking. And they just want to win.Advertisement