‘It was a shocker’. WR Makai Lemon on Eagles jumping Steelers to take him
Eagles first-round pick Makai Lemon describes how he was on the phone with the Steelers when the Eagles cut in to draft him
PHILADELPHIA − It took the Eagles until the third round before they drafted an offensive lineman, taking massive Miami tackle Markel Bell.
Bell is 6-foot-9, 346 pounds, and will clearly have to work on his footwork. He also becomes the tallest Eagles lineman, surpassing the 6-8 Jordan Mailata and 6-8 Hollin Pierce.
Still, Bell could be coming into a good position as he can learn from both Mailata and right tackle Lane Johnson, who turns 36 years old in May and could be playing in his final season.
According to USA Today’s Ayrton Ostley’s scouting report, Bell has an 87-inch wingspan, “the biggest at the combine and will help him steer and control NFL edge rushers. Took a huge step forward in 2025 with zero sacks allowed on 558 pass-blocking snaps. Elite grip strength and hand usage for his inexperience.”
Ostley also says Bell is a “below-average run blocker who will always struggle with leverage. Foot speed is lacking and he has a tendency to lean forward into blocks.”
It has been an eventful first two days of the NFL draft for the Eagles. They traded up in the first round to draft Southern Cal wide receiver Makai Lemon at No. 20, then took Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers, adding two skill-position players.
Then the Eagles traded for Vikings edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, who had 12.5 sacks in 2023 and 12 sacks in 2024 before dropping off to 3 sacks last season. The Eagles also signed Greenard to a four-year extension worth as much as $100 million.
The Eagles originally had two third-round picks, but they traded away the No. 98 pick to the Vikings to get edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. On April 23, they traded away both fourth-round picks to move up three spots for Lemon.
Those moves addressed glaring needs at wide receiver with a likely A.J. Brown trade, tight end with Dallas Goedert on a one-year deal, and edge rusher after the Eagles lost Jaelan Phillips to free agency.
But the Eagles hadn’t addressed the offensive line or the secondary up to this point in the draft.
Markel Bell Draft Grade: B-
Contact Martin Frank at [email protected]. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Sign up for the “Eye On The Eagles” newsletter, emailed to your inbox every Friday morning. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com
