Star Wide Receiver Prospect Makai Lemon Snubs Puka Nacua at Combine

The Los Angeles Rams are in an interesting place this offseason. The team fell just short of making its second Super Bowl in the Matthew Stafford era, losing to the eventual champion Seattle Seahawks 31-27 in the NFC Championship. Now, LA has to find a way to get its roster over the hump to take advantage of its star quarterback's waning prime.

Thankfully, the Rams have plenty of ammunition to do so this offseason.

Los Angeles is coming in with over $62 million in projected cap space to spend in free agency and 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. On top of the volume, four of the Rams' selections are in the first three rounds, and two are within the top 30 picks.

The best part is that the Rams don't even have that many holes to fill. Only a couple of key players from their roster are hitting free agency. Between their capital and relatively shallow pool of needs, they can afford to add talent at practically any position, including wide receiver.

2026 NFL Draft Combine, USC Trojans, NCAA Football, Makai Lemon — Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Southern California wideout Makai Lemon (WO29) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

Rams might not want to pick Makai Lemon

The Los Angeles Rams made it to the NFC Championship Game largely due to their loaded offense. They got an MVP performance out of Matthew Stafford in his 17th season, but he nabbed the award because of his pure production rather than overcoming a tough situation. In fact, it could be argued that Stafford had the best supporting cast in the league, playing behind a strong offensive line, bolstered by a capable rushing attack, and flanked by one of the most lethal wide receiver duos in the NFL, featuring Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.

Both Nacua and Adams are under contract for next season, and LA has plenty of other threatening weapons on the roster after them, such as Colby Parkinson, Terrance Ferguson, and Jordan Whittington. Because of that, the Rams won't have wide receiver as a major need this offseason. However, with two first-round picks at their disposal, it wouldn't be crazy to see them target someone they identify as a potential game-changer — maybe someone like USC's Makai Lemon.

Makai Lemon asked to name his top 3 WRs in the NFL currently and did not include Puka Nacua

Went with Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, and JSN pic.twitter.com/yBC4oSMrAj
— Jackson Durham (@JDurham_FBall) February 27, 2026

In his junior season for the Trojans, Lemon established himself as a first-round talent with 79 catches for 1,159 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also did the bulk of his work in the slot and over the middle of the field, making him a perfect third option alongside Nacua and Adams.

He could further separate himself from other elite wideout prospects such as Ohio State's Carnell Tate and Arizona's Jordyn Tyson with a strong Draft Combine. However, he's not off to a great start, at least not from the Rams' perspective.

While the wide receivers haven't undergone testing yet at the time of writing, Lemon did take the stand for questions from the media. When asked to rank his top three wide receivers in the NFL, he had a notable omission: Puka Nacua.

Perhaps LA will want him to see what Nacua can do up close and personal by taking him as a mentee of this past season's OPOY candidate, but that answer probably didn't shoot him up on General Manager Les Snead's board.

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