Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports

Unexpected WR Emerges as Top Prospect in 2026 NFL Draft

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Brendan Howe | Last updated Jul 11, 2025 7:07 PM ET

Makai Lemon doesn’t yet have the plaudits of a first-round NFL Draft pick. Still, Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema believes the junior USC Trojans receiver could be the top wideout in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Over two seasons playing for Lincoln Riley, Lemon has totaled 58 receptions for 852 yards and three touchdowns. He emerged last season, posting 52 grabs for 764 yards, with both of those figures leading the team.

“USC’s Makai Lemon, a true junior whose 85.6 PFF receiving grade in 2024 ranked third in the FBS among returning wide receivers, has already grabbed my attention — so much so that he is my early No. 1 wide receiver ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft,” Sikkema wrote last month.

Standing 5-foot-11 and tipping the scale at 195 pounds, Lemon categorizes more as a slot receiver, Sikkema believes.

“Lemon is lightning quick,” Sikkema said. “He has short strides but moves his legs like pistons in an engine, firing out of his stance to eat up cushion in coverage or getting vertical before defenders can adjust.”

Lemon was a four-star recruit in the 2023 class. Along with his Los Alamitos (Calif.) High School teammate and former five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson, he’d previously committed to the Oklahoma Sooners when Riley was coaching them. Lemon and Nelson followed him to USC, and Nelson has transferred twice since.

Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, Auburn’s Eric Singleton Jr. and Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson are among the other talented pass-catchers available in next year’s NFL Draft.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: