They hit it off immediately, two Eagles 1st-round wide receivers bonding at a 76ers-Celtics game.

Makai Lemon and DeVonta Smith have only been teammates for a week now, but they’ve already started building the kind of relationship they’ll need as the Eagles’ presumptive WR1 and WR2 in a post-A.J. Brown world. And it all began court-side at the Xfinity Mobile Arena during Game 3 of the 76ers-Celtics series.

“We were chopping up a little bit,” Lemon said Thursday. “I wasn’t trying to pick his brain too much. He’s chilling. But I definitely got to talk to him to see how things are going. see how the team is, and he said I’m gonna love it.

“(He said), ‘You came to a great organization a great team, a brotherhood so I’m super excited to get around the guys.”

Smith was the Eagles’ 10th pick in 2021 after a trade-up with the Cowboys, and Lemon was their 20th pick this year after a trade-up with the Cowboys.

Smith’s 385 catches, 5,019 yards and 31 touchdowns are most ever by an Eagle in his first five years.

With Brown expected to be unloaded on or after June 1, he’ll step into the WR1 role and Lemon becomes WR2.

They’ll need to have a close bond to flourish in those roles, and that process has already begun.

“Yeah, super humble guy, super chill, super calm, kind of my type of vibe,” Lemon said. “So I feel like me and him clicked on those things. When you step on the field, he’s already got that dog mentality. So I think me and him are going to click well, definitely.”

Smith is listed at 6-foot, 170 pounds and Lemon is 5-11, 192. There have only been three seasons in franchise history where two Eagles WRs who were 6-0 or shorter and 200 pounds or less had 500 yards in the same season. The first time was 1961 with Tommy McDonald and Bobby Walston and the second was 2021 with Smith and Quez Watkins.

It’s rare but it’s possible.

Lemon believes he can learn a lot about playing at a high level in the NFL as an undersized receiver just from watching Smith. 

“Yeah, he’s definitely not the biggest guy, not the tallest guy on the field. But having that heart makes him such an impact player. And that’s what sticks out to me.

“Once you have a guy like that on your team, lined up next to you, I feel like that’s only going to make you better. And I feel like we can help each other in any way.”

Interesting that the Eagles drafted both Lemon and Nelson Agholor out of USC with the 20th overall pick. Also interesting that Mike Quick was the 20thpick in the 1982 draft.

Lemon had a monster 2025 season, with 79 catches, 1,156 yards, 11 touchdowns and a 14.6 average for the Trojans.

On Friday, he’ll be out on the practice fields at the Jefferson Health Training Complex for the first time as the Eagles begin rookie practice.

“I’m just super excited,” he said. “Hit the ground running, get the cleats on my feet, get the balls in the air, get around my teammates. That’s a great feeling. That’s where I’m best, on the field.”

We won’t know until the full team assembles for minicamps next month how the Eagles will line up their receivers, whether Lemon will stay in the slot with Smith and Dontayvion Wicks or Hollywood Brown outside or whether Lemon will work both outside an in the slot.

He said he’s ready for anything.

“I feel like I enjoy any spot, inside or outside,” he said. “I feel like that’s something that I cherish about my game where you can move me all around and I’m still comfortable. 

“I can win inside or outside. So, whatever the team wants me to do, wherever I’m the best fit for the offense, I’m here to do.”

Wherever he lines up, there will be an immense amount of pressure on Lemon since he’ll be taking the place of Brown, a three-time Pro Bowler, four-time 1,000-yard receiver and one of the half dozen greatest receivers wide receiver in franchise history.

The Eagles sure believe he’s up for the task. That’s why he’s here.

“When I lay my head on my pillow at night before I go to sleep, I’m just thinking about the long journey that it took to get here,” he said. “All the trials and tribulations, all the long nights, all the workouts. 

“It’s such a great feeling that I pushed through it, had a support system behind me to get me to this point. So it’s definitely such a great feeling that I’m here now and the start of a new chapter.”