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New Orleans Saints Undrafted Rookie Profile: Cyril Lemon

By Christy Lynch Chauvin

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Sep 14, 2013; Denton, TX, USA; North Texas Mean Green offensive linesman Cyril Lemon (62) blocks North Texas Mean Green linebacker LaJaylin Smith (92) during the game at Apogee Stadium. The Mean Green defeated the Cardinals 34-27. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Call him Protectus Availabus

Offensive guard Cyril Lemon has never missed a game on the North Texas Mean Green football team

Call him Displacus Katrinus

Lemon, his mother, aunt and grandmother started an exodus with their church as Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans’ Ninth Ward.  For forty days they roamed the Texas landscape until they settled in Marble Falls, Texas.

"“It was an unsettling time,” said June Lemon, Cyril’s mother. “We had to trust in God because we didn’t know where we were going to land.”“The journey showed me that life is going to throw you curves,” Lemon said. “How you handle it creates the person you are. The people who experienced Katrina either elevated themselves or went lower. The challenges in life bring out the best in you. I wouldn’t be where I’m at if it wasn’t for Katrina.”  To him, the Ninth Ward …  “It wasn’t like the suburbs,” Lemon said. “It wasn’t magnificent, but it was nice.”“Cyril used football as an outlet,” said Monique Breaux, Lemon’s aunt. “He was uprooted from all he knew. He thought when he left New Orleans that he would get to see his friends again. He used football to express his emotions on the field.”Source: How UNT senior Cyril Lemon rose from flood waters of Hurricane Katrina by Brett Vito"

Whatever you call him, make sure you him a leader.  Cyril was team captain for Mean Green in 2014 and its acknowledged spiritual leader. Lemon will not come to the New Orleans Saints with any character issues, and he comes with the acknowledgement that he anchored the line for North Texas.

New Orleans Saints Undrafted Rookie Profile: Cyril Lemon

Lemon is the only Division I Football Bowl Subdivision player to start every game of his career and be named All-Conference three straight years.

Lemon is not without issues.  Draft Insiders.com’s Tony Pauline believes Lemon’s game had stagnated.

"Early in his career Cyril Lemon caught my eye as a legitimate middle round pick but his game has leveled off. Watching him as a sophomore he showed strength on the line of scrimmage as well as the ability to block in motion. But watching the North Texas film from 2013 I saw a poorly conditioned, overweight and a wide bodied blocker that could not finish blocks."

Gil Brandt from NFL.com saw Lemon as a free-agent pickup after his pro day.

"Lemon has been a four-year starter at North Texas and was a good player for the Mean Green. He had a good positional workout at the pro day, but needs to improve his strength. He’ll be a good free agent to bring into camp."

Lemon mentioned he was trying to get his playing weight down as he prepared for the College Gridiron Showcase by Jennifer Fierro which was played at the University of Texas-Arlington’s Maverick Stadium in January, 2015.   Lemon graduated with a degree in kinesiology.  (Lemon made the dean’s list every semester). Lemon’s words of wisdom for those who dream of athletic greatness …

"“You’ll have a lot of naysayers,” he said. “But go for it. That’s one thing I’m trying to do. You have to go in one direction. You can’t have it going in different ways.”"

Cyril Lemon’s homecoming to the New Orleans Saints may seem like a great storyline but it is a real story embodied by a young man who has come the long way back home to face real challenges to make a pro roster.  If he can wrestle down his conditioning challenges like he wrestles down a defender, Cyril Lemon will be Princeps Suae Navis–captain of his ship.  But if you are looking for a nickname–call him by his favorite “The Rev”

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