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Makai Lemon of USC celebrates after being selected twentieth overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles during Round One of the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium on April 23, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

The Philadelphia Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman are known for being aggressive in trade discussions during the NFL Draft. More of the same was seen in the first round of the 2026 draft on Thursday night.

Entering the night, the Eagles held the No. 23 overall pick in the first round. However, Roseman wanted to move up for another offensive playmaker.

To make that happen, Philadelphia pulled off a trade with the arch-rival Dallas Cowboys to land the No. 20 pick. In exchange, the Eagles traded the No. 23 pick, the No. 114 pick and the No. 137 overall pick. After making the trade, Philadelphia drafted USC standout wide receiver Makai Lemon.

Importantly, the trade up for Lemon likely signals the end of A.J. Brown’s tenure with the Eagles. They have now added Lemon, Dontayvion Wicks, and Hollywood Brown at wide receiver this offseason.

Following the trade between the two bitter rivals, Skip Bayless didn’t hold back from sharing his opinion on the move.

Skip Bayless Drops Strong Words on Eagles-Cowboys Draft Trade

Bayless was clearly a big fan of Lemon’s game. He applauded Roseman for making the move to get him.

“I KNEW IT: HOWIE ROSEMAN GOT MY GUY MAKAI LEMON AT 20. BALLER,” Bayless wrote on X.

“GREAT HANDS. ATTACKS DEFENSES AND THE FOOTBALL. WINS EVERY CONTESTED CATCH. EAGLES GOT A FOOTBALL PLAYER … AND NOW IT’S VIRTUALLY CERTAIN AJ BROWN IS GONE.”

That isn’t where he stopped when it came to Lemon. Bayless went on to call him the “steal of the draft” in a follow-up post.

“MAKAI LEMON IS THE STEAL OF THE DRAFT AT 20. HE WILL HAUNT THE COWBOYS FOR YEARS TO COME.”

Eagles Now Must Focus on Trading A.J. Brown

Now that Lemon has been added to the wide receiver room alongside of Devonta Smith, the next step for Philadelphia will be trading Brown.

There have been many reports that Brown is expected to be moved to the New England Patriots this offseason. Other teams have also shown interest in the veteran star wideout.

Even without Brown, the Eagles’ offense is now in great shape. Wicks and Lemon are both talented wideouts with high upside, while Smith and Brown offer veteran playmaking ability. Hurts will be just fine without his current No. 1 target.

Only time will tell what the future has in store for Brown. However, it is clear that Philadelphia is ready to move in a different direction and Lemon will be a huge part of the team’s future offensive game plan.

Making a trade with the bitter rival Cowboys was an aggressive move, but it’s one that Bayless certainly thinks the Eagles won.