MakaiLemon

Lemon makes up for his below-average height with outsize levels of dog at the catch point, combining body control, toughness, and concentration to bring down balls that he has no business corralling. A two-year starter for the Trojans, he won the Biletnikoff Award in 2025 after racking up 79 catches for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns, plus another two scores on the ground. He sports a compact, muscular frame and runs routes with lightning-quick feet to stop and cut on a dime. Lemon operates primarily out of the slot, showing a good feel for zone and when to take a route into the open space. He turns into a running back after the catch, flashing the top-tier acceleration and lateral juice to make tacklers miss in small areas. He broke 21 tackles in 2025, per PFF (tied for eighth most), and 502 of his 1,156 receiving yards last year came after the catch. He’s far more than just a short and intermediate threat, though; he is dangerous on vertical routes, reeling in 16 passes of 20-plus yards last season, per PFF, tied for third most nationally. He can separate off the line, leaves defenders in the dust on deep crossing routes, and is super tough when going over the middle, showing the courage to go up high to reel in a catch even when he knows a hit is coming. He has a good feel for getting his feet in bounds on routes to the sideline and brings reliable hands, with just two drops last year. He came down with 10 of 15 contested catch opportunities.  

Lemon ran out of the slot on 75 percent of his routes in his college career, so there will be questions as to whether he can play outside at the next level. He’s undersized and lacks length. There are times when he gets rerouted and held up at the line when facing bigger, stronger corners. He shows good effort, but his lack of bulk limits his utility as a blocker.