USC's Makai Lemon Earns Respect From Post-Combine NFL Draft Rankings

USC Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon is getting closer to hearing his name called in the 2026 NFL Draft. The 2025 Biletnikoff Award winner is projected to be a first round selection and one of the first receivers taken off the board.

Makai Lemon Ranked No. 11 on NFL Draft Board

USC Trojans Makai Lemon NFL Draft Top 25 Mel Kiper Jr. Wide Receiver Miami Dolphins Ja'Kobi Lane Carnell Tate Jordyn Tyson — Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) celebrates after catching a 32-yard touchdown pass against the UCLA Bruins in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. revealed his most recent Top 25 Big Board player rankings following the combine. Kiper has Lemon tabbed as the No. 11 overall player on his board.

"He is one of my favorite players in the class," Kiper said about Lemon.

The team that currently has the No. 11 pick in the draft is the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins could be in the market for a player like Lemon due to them releasing wide receiver Tyreek Hill earlier this offseason.

Lemon is coming off an incredible 2025 season, where he was top 10 in the country in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown receptions through the regular season.

Lemon signed with the Trojans out of high school as a member of their 2023 recruiting class. He was rated as a four-star recruit. Lemon played all three of his collegiate football seasons for USC from 2023-2025.

Over these three years, Lemon had 137 receptions for 2,008 yards and 14 touchdowns. In addition to being named the Biletnikoff Award winner in 2025, Lemon was also First-team All-Big Ten in 2025, a 2025 Unanimous All-American, and Third-team All-Big Ten in 2024.

At the NFL Combine, Lemon was measured at 5-11, 192 pounds. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, his production score of 91 ranked higher than any other wide receiver that participated in drills. His total score was 85, the third highest among wideouts.

Top Wide Receivers in Draft Class

Kiper has two other wide receivers above Lemon on his big board. Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Carnell Tate is No. 7 while Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver Jordyn Tyson is No. 9.

Tate may not have the most eye-popping 2025 stats with 51 receptions for 875 yards and nine receiving touchdowns, but to be fair to him he was having to share targets with another Buckeyes superstar wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith.

Tyson played his last two seasons of college for Arizona State. In nine games played in 2025, Tyson had 61 receptions for 711 yards and eight touchdowns. This was coming off a 2024 season where he had 75 receptions for 1,101 receiving yards 10 touchdowns.

Ja'Kobi Lane Not In Kiper's Top 25

A player not listed in Kiper’s top 25 was USC’s No. 2 target in the passing game in 2025, wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane. Lane, like Lemon, signed with USC out of high school as a four-star recruit in the 2023 class.

With USC from 2023-2025, Lane had 99 receptions for 1,363 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was named Third-team All-Big Ten in 2025 with his 49 receptions for 745 yards and four touchdowns.

At the NFL Combine, Lane was listed at 6-4, 200 pounds. His athleticism score was 79, ranking 18th among all wide receivers there. His total score was 74, the 19th highest for a receiver.

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