New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: WR Makai Lemon, USC

Makai Lemon, WR

Height: 5’ 11 ½”
Weight: 182 lbs
Class: Third-year Junior
School: USC
Hands: 8 ¾”
Arm Length: 30 ½”
STATS

Makai Lemon was a four-star wide receiver coming out of Los Alamitos, California, in the 2023 recruiting class. Lemon stayed local and committed to USC very early in his recruiting process, staying committed to them throughout high school.

Lemon led the Trojans in both receptions and yards in 2024 and 2025, while also leading the team in receiving touchdowns in 2025.

Career-wise, 46.3% of Lemon’s yards in 2025 came after the catch, an average of 6.4 YAC per reception.

This past season, Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award, given to the top WR in the country, and earned First-Team All-American and All-Conference honors.

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) carries the ball against UCLA Bruins defensive back Andre Jordan Jr. (2) in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Strengths

Glue hands whether open or in traffic
Fearless coming over the middle of the field
Might have the best ball-tracking abilities in the draft
Excels using tempo to create separation as a route-runner
Elite body control, consistently gets two feet down by the sideline, even though college only requires one foot in
One of the better release packages in the draft, keeping him free of jams
Creates his yards after the catch with vision and contact balance through light tackles
Does a great job of getting into a defender's space and gets into cuts violently
Explosive in and out of breaks as a route runner
Offers special teams value with experience and production as both a kick and punt returner

Weaknesses

Lacks top-end speed to create explosives consistently
Likely won’t have the same level of contested catch success in the NFL against bigger, stronger athletes
Not very creative after the catch, just a tough runner that’s willing to meet defenders where they are
When cornerbacks do get a jam on him, he struggles to get back into phase
Not confident in his ability to separate against better man-cover corners
Will need to be either a slot receiver or Z used in motion to avoid a jam
While he’s got great ball skills, he has a limited catch radius due to his size

Summary

Makai Lemon is one of the smoothest receivers in the 2026 NFL Draft.

He’s ready to contribute in a major way from day one out of the slot or as a Z receiver, but lacks the skillset to play the X, which Malik Nabers would handle anyway.

In 2025, Lemon played 65.8% of his offensive snaps lined up in the slot while also seeing some snaps lined up in the backfield or inline.

It’s unclear just how much better Lemon can get in the NFL. He’s technically refined, and almost all of his limitations are size-speed ones.

A starter from day one that should have a long and productive career out of the slot, a common comparison for Lemon is Amon-Ra St. Brown, and on film, it’s clear why.

GRADE: 6.75

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