One of the most exciting receivers in this year’s draft class, Makai Lemon, looks to be the latest in a long line of impressive players from USC. After breaking out with an All-American performance in 2025, Lemon looks to be one of, if not the first, receivers taken.
2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Makai Lemon
Measurables
Height: 5′ 11″
Weight: 192
Arms: 30.5″
Hands: 8.75
40-yard: 4.53
School: USC
Makai Lemon NFL Draft Overview
Coming out of Los Alimitos High School in California, Lemon had his pick of schools. He was the consensus seventh-best receiver and 44th-best player regardless of position in the 2023 recruiting class. The four-star athlete decided to stay closer to home rather than attend Oklahoma or Alabama.
As a true freshman, Lemon appeared in nine games, playing both ways for the Trojans. In total, he hauled in six passes for 88 yards and even made a tackle. Then, in 2024, he stuck to focusing on receiver and had a bit of a breakout season. In 12 games, Lemon led the Trojans with 43 receptions for 525, and was tied for third with three touchdowns.
Last year, Lemon took over. In 12 games, Lemon led the Trojans with 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns on 79 receptions.
For his 2025 breakout, Lemon earned unanimous All-American honors and was crowned the top receiver in the nation with the Biletnikoff Award.
In addition to his receiving chops, Lemon returned 33 kicks in his time with USC for an average of 23.5 yards per return.
Across his 33 career games, Lemon has seven 100-yard games and three with multiple touchdowns.
Strengths
- Football IQ on display when he exploits leverage
- Plays much larger than his 5’11”, 192-pound frame would suggest
- Ball tracking mid-air is legitimately elite
- Always gets his feet down
- Takes “no block, no rock” to heart
- 2.5% drop rate
- Deep threat; converted 25 targets of 20+ into 16 receptions for 522 yards and five touchdowns
- Plays faster and smoother than 4.5 speed
- Can beat both man and zone
Weaknesses
- Might just be a slot option in the NFL (80.6% of career snaps from the slot)
- Still a smaller frame
- Good, not elite after the catch
- Longer corners may cause him issues in press
- Tends to rush and cut off double moves
Projection: First Round
Best Fits: Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers
Bottom Line on Makai Lemon
Despite being a bit smaller and a bit slower, Lemon took home the Biletnikoff Award for good reason, beating out Jeremiah Smith and Skyler Bell. He was far and away the number-one threat in a Lincoln Riley-led USC offense, so defenses knew where it was going, but it didn’t matter.
The biggest knock on Lemon will be that he may “just” be a slot receiver. However, with his route running and ability to find the softest spots in the defense, Lemon can be a very good slot receiver in the NFL.
He doesn’t have that breakneck speed you’d want, nor is he a threat to take any catch to the house with YAC. At the same time, he does everything else incredibly well. Coming across the middle, he’s as sure-handed as any. If given a 50-50 ball, Lemon is able to go up and get it at a higher rate than you’d expect a player of his stature.
Plenty of comparisons to Amon-Ra St. Brown have hit the web regarding Lemon. Both players lack size, but play so much bigger. Lemon runs after the catch almost like a running back, making him hard to bring down.
Lemon has what it takes to be a star in the NFL. He does everything well and will be an incredibly reliable receiver that any quarterback will love.
