This USC Player is Seeing His NFL Draft Stock Rise Before Combine

USC Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon is projected to be one of the first wide receivers taken in the 2026 NFL Draft. According to Brent Sobieski of Bleacher Report, Lemon is among the biggest draft risers heading into the scouting combine.

Makai Lemon's Draft Stock Rising

USC Trojans NFL Draft Riser Rankings Makai Lemon Wide Receiver Big Ten Mock Draft First Round Carnell Tate Ohio State Buckeye — Dec 27, 2023; San Diego, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley (right) celebrates with wide receiver Makai Lemon (24) after the Holiday Bowl against the Louisville Cardinals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Makai Lemon is ranked as the No. 12 overall 2026 NFL Draft prospect by Bleacher Report. The 5-11, 195 pound Lemon had a breakout 2025 season for the Trojans. He had 79 receptions for 1,116 yards and 11 touchdowns through the air. Lemon ranked top 11 in the nation for all three of these categories. He also added another two touchdowns rushing.

Lemon played three seasons in college from 2023-2025, all of which were for USC. For his career, Lemon had 137 receptions for 2,008 yards and 14 touchdowns. In 2025, he won the Fred Biletnikoff Award, was named the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year, First-team All-Big Ten, and was a Unanimous All-American.

The USC passing attack was lethal with Lemon. In 2025, he had five games with 100 or more receiving yards to go along with a receiving touchdown.

Most mock drafts out there have Makai Lemon going in the early to middle of the first round. According to NFL Mock Draft Database, he is projected to go in the first round with the consensus being No. 16 overall to the New York Jets.

The only wideouts they have ranked above Lemon are Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Carnell Tate and Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver Jordyn Tyson.

MORE: Zach Hanson Sends Clear Message About USC’s Mentality on the Offensive Line

MORE: Five Takeaways from USC Coach Chad Savage’s Press Conference

MORE: USC's Offensive Coordinator Doesn't Hold Back About Freshman Quarterback Jonas Williams

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER HERE!

USC Wide Receivers' NFL Success

USC has a long history of putting players in the NFL. No program has had more players drafted to the NFL than the Trojans with 523. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are second with 520. Then there is a drop off at No. 3 with Ohio State having 487 players drafted.

Furthermore, no school has had more No. 1 overall picks than USC with six. The Trojans also boast 14 alums that have ended up making the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In recent years, USC has made a push to become the next “Wide Receiver U.” Since 2020, USC has had six wide receivers drafted into the NFL: Michael Pittman Jr., Amon-Ra St. Brown, Drake London, Jordan Addison, Brenden Rice, and Tahj Washington.

Pittman, St. Brown, London, and Addison have established themselves in the league as reliable No. 1 or No. 2 targets. All four are still with the teams that selected them on draft night. Could Lemon end up following in their footsteps?

Something that is especially impressive about Lemon is his ability to hunt the ball and win 1v1 battles despite being undersized. His strong hands and nose for the ball made up for his lack of height at USC.