How Lincoln Riley's Offense Prepared Lake McRee for the NFL

After signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent, USC Trojans tight end Lake McRee is ready to begin his NFL career, and the process it took to get him here could help him to find success at the NFL level as well.

Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans tight end Lake McRee (87) catches a pass against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

At the conclusion of the 2026 NFL Draft, USC Trojans tight end Lake McRee was picked up by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent.

With McRee’s NFL career set to begin, it is time to take a look at the process that developed him into an NFL-caliber player.

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans tight end Lake McRee (87) scores on a 62-yard touchdown reception against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Versatility In an NFL Style Offense

With the Trojans, McRee had a great opportunity to expand his knowledge of offensive formations and alignments under a coach, Lincoln Riley, as one of the more innovative offensive minds in college football.

In his final season with the Trojans, McRee recorded 30 receptions for 450 yards, four touchdowns, and averaged 15 yards per reception. With other weapons like wide receivers, Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane, McRee was able to carve out a role for himself and still be a critical part of the USC offense. 

As the game of football continues to develop, every position begins to take on different roles. The tight end position is no different. 

Oct 28, 2023; Berkeley, California, USA; USC Trojans tight end Lake McRee (87) runs after a catch against California Golden Bears defensive back Craig Woodson (2) during the first quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The college and NFL-level tight ends have become such an important part of an offense's passing attack. Mainly because with how many different ways a tight end can line up in the formation, it can create favorable matchups for the offense to create explosive plays or move the chain to generate first downs.

With that in mind, that is exactly how Riley has used McRee in the Trojans offense. McRee has lined up all over the formation as a blocker and as a solid receiver for intermediate passes, short passes, and sometimes deep down the seam. 

McRee’s understanding of how to be successful in all of these different areas is very valuable for him as he makes the transition to the NFL level, where offenses get even more complex. Having a more detailed playbook in college can be one of the most important things for NFL success, as it builds great habits to constantly be mentally prepared.

McRee's experience in Riley‘s offense was not just something that helped him to get more targets, but it was something that could help him have a lengthy NFL career with his knowledge of the different ways she can be used in an offense and how he can make a positive impact in an NFL offense moving forward.

Oct 18, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Southern California Trojans tight end Lake McRee (87) celebrates scoring against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Resilience and Fundamentals

In addition to his advanced understanding of offensive schemes, McRee has displayed two other very important traits. Those are resilience and a constant focus on the fundamentals.

In terms of his resilience, McRee has suffered two significant injuries with ACL tears in 2019 and 2023, which could have derailed his career. However, he decided to keep pushing, which led him to USC and has now arrived at the NFL level.

While this may seem like an ordinary process, suffering two injuries of that magnitude is very difficult for athletes to come back from, both mentally and physically. McRee’s ability to do that shows that when he hits adversity in the NFL, he will keep moving forward and not let that define him, which bodes well with the trials that the NFL can bring.

On the fundamentals side, one of McCree’s best traits is his hands and how often he catches the ball when he is open. That reliability is often tough to find, and early in his NFL career, McRee could be in a great position to carve out a role as a reliable target and contributor for his quarterback. 

When he begins his career with the Steelers, McRee has a great opportunity to succeed as a tight end in the NFL with his versatility, reliability, and resilience serving as key traits for his development throughout his career.

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