Makai Lemon Landing Spots: 3 Potential Draft Suitors For Former USC Wideout
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Makai Lemon is widely regarded as one of the top wide receiver prospects in a talented 2026 NFL Draft class. Lemon is slated to be one of the top three receivers selected in April’s draft, coming off a stellar 2025 performance with the USC Trojans prior to a solid showing USC’s Pro Day.
Lemon shined in his lone All-American campaign, coming away with the Biletnikoff Award to cap off a historic season. In 12 games, the consensus first-round pick hauled in 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns, displaying readiness for NFL competition throughout the season.
Teams throughout the league have already expressed interest in selecting the 21-year-old on day one of the draft, where he’ll fall off the board for a team in need of receiver help. Let’s look at three potential landing spots for Lemon in April’s draft:
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are in dire need of wide receiver help. The team’s receiver unit finished near the bottom of the NFL in output during the 2025 season, with rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. leading the team in yardage in the passing game. With solid complementary wideouts such as Jerry Jeudy and Isaiah Bond on the roster, the team is expected to take a swing at a true WR1 with one of their two first-round picks.
In the Browns’ offense, Lemon would immediately take over as the leading target among the receiving corps. From a fantasy football perspective, his target share would set a safe floor for production, while his versatile skill set could help him emerge with valuable fantasy output. He could line up at multiple positions in passing sets, presenting a reliable target for second-year signal-caller Shedeur Sanders.
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins have a sudden void at receiver, having parted ways with each of their top wideouts to this point of the offseason. Tyreek Hill hit the open market following his release, while Jaylen Waddle was traded to the Denver Broncos earlier this week. Without Waddle and Hill, Miami’s depleted receiving corps checks in as one of the worst in the entire NFL. Malik Washington, Tutu Atwell and company won’t offer tremendous help to Malik Willis, which will likely lead the Dolphins to target wide receiver help in the first round of the draft.
Similarly to his role in Cleveland, Lemon would be expected to take over as the team’s WR1 for the 2026 season. He’d command a large chunk of the offense’s target share without significant top-end depth to boot. Stepping into a leading role in his rookie year could bode well for the incoming rookie, though Miami’s lack of depth could slightly hamper his fantasy production in the Dolphins’ offense.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots boast a talented crop of receivers, but the unit has provided more questions than answers coming off the Super Bowl loss. The team parted ways with Stefon Diggs following a 1,000-yard campaign, bringing in former Green Bay Packers wideout Romeo Doubs in free agency. Though Doubs presents a solid No. 1 option for Drake Maye, there’s still work to do in the unit. The Patriots could shore up the unit with the selection of Lemon with their No. 31 overall pick, should he fall to such a position.
In New England, Lemon could suit up in a favorable role, though his target volume would be lesser to that of Miami or Cleveland. With plenty of talent surrounding him, Lemon could find tremendous success in a WR2 role in New England’s offense. His ability to shake defenders over the middle, paired with his effort on 50/50 shots will offer a valuable spark to the Patriots’ passing game. His output likely wouldn’t match his projections with the Browns or Dolphins, but the fit is undeniable.
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Ethen Hutton is a MLB, WNBA, College, and Fantasy contributor at On SI. Previously, he's covered the NBA, WNBA and NFL for Sportskeeda. Hutton is also a passionate fantasy football player and an immense music lover.