NFL Draft’s Top Receiver Race Is Heating Up

Ask scouts across the league about who the top receiver is in the 2026 NFL Draft and there would be three different answers.

USC’s Makai Lemon, Ohio State’s Carnell Tate and Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson are in contention for being the first receiver off the board in April.

Makai Lemon Cements USC Legacy

USC Trojans Makai Lemon Carnell Tate Jordyn Tyson NFL Draft Biletnikoff Award Ohio State Arizona State Jaxon Smith-Njigba — Jul 24, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; USC wide receiver Makai Lemon speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Lemon was viewed as one of the top receivers in college football coming into the 2025 season but not many would have predicted the year he would have.

The Southern California native caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 games. He added two more scores on the ground and one through the air and became the second player in program history to win the Biletnikoff Award, presented annually to the top receiver in college football.

Lemon is only 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds but he plays so much bigger than that. He’s great at contested catches and can be tough to bring down with the ball in his hands because of his elusiveness and strength. He’s turns into a running back after the catch.

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Lemon is a chain mover in the slot. He’s a crafty and detailed route runner that has a great feel for finding the open spots in zone coverage. The Trojans receiver is explosive off the line and has no wasted movements. His ability to tempo routes and then burst is impressive.

He can play on the outside, but his tape is very limited there. And it could come down to preference for NFL teams. But players such as Seattle Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and former USC and current Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown primarily do their damage in the slot or condensed to the formation and

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has Lemon as the No. 1 receiver and No. 7 overall prospect on board. While ESPN’s Jordan Reid has Lemon and the No. 2 receiver and No. 12 overall prospect on his board.

Makai Lemon’s Competition at the Top of the Draft

Tate comes from Ohio State. That holds weight because of the instant success of former Buckeye receivers that were drafted in the first round such as Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. All were developed under now USF coach Brian Hartline and the idea of drafting one of the last ones from that tree is intriguing.

Tate has great length and is a long strider with his 6-foot-3 frame. He is a polished route runner that can stretch a defense vertically and excels at the top of routes to create separation. Tate has strong hands and is great catching passes in traffic. Reid has Tate as the No. 1 receiver on his board.

Tyson is smooth. And of the three guys, the 6-foot-2 Tyson mixes the most between playing in the slot and lining up on the outside. His body control and ball tracking ability are impressive. Tyson’s best season was in 2024, after he dealt with some injuries this past season. His big thing is durability questions.

All three guys won’t run blazing times in the 40 but their tape speaks for itself. Getting a look at these guys in person at the combine and pro days will be the deciding factors.

It’s a solid crop of receivers and there’s a very good chance all three are gone before the draft gets into the 20s.

Makai Lemon Cements USC Legacy

Makai Lemon’s Competition at the Top of the Draft

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