Makai Lemon has big shoes to fill in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Eagles rookie Makai Lemon will wear jersey No. 9. He's the first Eagles player to wear No. 9 since Nick Foles.
Foles is a legend in Philadelphia. He led the franchise to the Super Bowl during the 2017 season after taking over for an injured Carson Wentz.
"I talked to him on the phone," Lemon said. "He wanted to pass that number over, wanted to speak to me on the phone before anybody else told me so. I appreciate him, and hopefully I can meet him soon. He's around the building."
The Eagles haven't retired No. 9. They just never reissued until this year.
"I appreciate the Eagles so much and Nick Foles, especially, to pass that number down because I know he could have easily kept that number to himself," Lemon said. "Such a great player when he was here wearing that number 9, led them to the Super Bowl. I appreciate him so much. I definitely cherish that so much. I'll represent the number 9 well wearing it, representing the team well. I'm just super excited to get that number, for sure."
Philadelphia selected Lemon with the 20th overall pick in this year's draft out of USC. The talented WR had 79 catches in 2025 for 1,156 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns.
Lemon, who wore No. 6 at USC, said he was aware of the Eagles' history with the jersey number.
"I definitely was aware of that before he passed the number down, but then just really getting to know the whole backstory when Carson Wentz went down and (Foles) came in and led the team to the Super Bowl and did what he did. I definitely don't take that lightly," Lemon said.
Lemon's No. 6 from USC is worn by fellow wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who told the No. 20 overall selection that he was not surrendering his number.
The Eagles' offense is stacked on paper. Lemon is joined by Smith, Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and Saquon Barkley.
Eagles Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Eagles. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.