Which USC Trojans Have First-Round NFL Draft Potential? Ja’Kobi Lane, Kamari Ramsey, Makai Lemon

The focus will be on next year’s NFL draft. So, five-star freshmen quarterback Husan Longstreet, defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart, cornerback RJ Sermons or even sophomore defensive end Kameryn Fountain — all of which certainly could have first-round potential in a few years, will not appear in this article. 

Junior receivers Ja’Kobi Lane and Makai Lemon would be the first two names that come to mind on the offensive side of the ball. 

Lane, a former four-star recruit from Mesa, Arizona earned early playing time as a freshman but then went almost two months without seeing the field. He found his way back into the rotation late in the year, which included a two-touchdown performance in the Holiday Bowl against Louisville. His performance at Petco Park gave Trojan fans a glimpse of what to expect from Lane as a sophomore. 

The 6-foot-4 Lane stepped into a starting role last season. He proved early to be a matchup problem in one-on-one coverage when he caught go-ahead touchdowns in the fourth quarter against LSU in Week 1 and Michigan in Week 4. 

All of which led to his coming out party against Wisconsin in Week 5 when he reeled in a career-high 10 receptions for 105 yards and three touchdowns.

His production plateaued in a deep and talented receiver room that relied on a heavy rotation, but he continued to showcase a skillset that NFL scouts intrigued. 

Lane’s one-handed highlight reel touchdown against Maryland showed off his elite hands. He only caught four passes in the final two games, all of which were touchdowns. In the Las Vegas Bowl, with three receivers in the transfer portal, USC rolled almost exclusively with three receivers. Lane responded with by catching seven passes for a career-high 127 receptions and three touchdowns. 

He caught 12 touchdowns (5th in country) in 2024 playing limited snaps. It pegs the question, what would Lane’s production look like if he stayed on the field more often? That question will be answered in a couple of months. ESPN NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid has rated Lane as the No. 1 receiver on his board heading into the fall. 

Lane is a highly competitive receiver with an incredible catch radius. He's a quarterback's best friend because even when he's covered, he's open.

Lemon was also a four-star recruit in the same recruiting class as Lane coming out of Los Alamitos (Calif.). As a freshman, he played both on sides of the ball, before becoming a full-time receiver in 2024. 

He recorded his first career touchdown in Week 2 against Utah State. In Week 4, Lemon suffered a scary injury when he collided with a Michigan player in the first quarter while covering a punt. He missed one game and when returned to lineup, he quickly found his stride in Lincoln Riley’s offense and as an electric returner in the kicking game. 

Lemon had three consecutive games in October where he recorded a new career-high in receptions or receiving yards. His breakout performance came against Rutgers in Week 9 when he posted 256 all-purpose, the most by USC player since Adoree' Jackson in 2016. Lemon finished first on the team in receptions (52) and receiving yards (764).

The Southern California native has drawn strong comparisons to former USC receiver and current Detroit Lions All-Pro Amon-Ra St. Brown. Coincidentally, national draft analyst Todd McShay has the Lions taking Lemon in the first-round of his mock draft. PFF rates Lemon as the No. 1 receiver for the 2026 NFL Draft. 

Lemon is a dynamic with the ball in his hands as a receiver and the return game. He has the ability to shift momentum at any moment in two phases of the game. He's crafty and explosive as route runner in the slot. Lemon displays an advanced understanding of coverages and knows how to find the soft spot against zone defense.

Two receivers from the same team being selected in the first round has become more common in recent years. In 2007, LSU receivers Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis and Ohio State receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez were selected in the first-round of the same draft. 

It didn’t happen again until 2020 when Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III and Jerry Jeudy were the first two receivers off the board. Since then, it’s happened three more times. 

Safety Kamari Ramsey started 11 games as redshirt freshman at UCLA in 2023. He followed defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn to USC when he was hired in December 2023. 

Ramsey was instrumental in helping Lynn install his defense in the spring. After the Trojans ranked at the bottom of almost every statistical category on defense in 2023, Ramsey helped USC make tremendous strides in 2024. They were better in all facets of the defense — physicality, schematics and tackling, and Ramsey certainly played a large role in that. 

Ramsey tallied 60 tackles, including 5.5 for loss, two sacks, five PBUs and an interception in 11 games last season. He chose to forgo the 2025 NFL Draft and return to school for another season.

The redshirt junior will take on the role of wearing the green dot this upcoming season, which signifies what player that is allowed to communicate with their sidelines via radio. 

Ramsey is an impact player at three levels of the defense. Lynn was not hesitant using Ramsey in blitz packages and showed his range playing a deep half safety. He’s physical and is excellent showing up in run support. Ramsey possess a high football IQ and is a tremendous leader on the backend of the Trojans defense. The Athletic has projected the USC safety as a first-round pick.

In recent years, teams have shied away from using a first-round pick on a safety. Georgia's Malaki Starks was the only safety to be selected in the first round of this year's draft when the Baltimore Ravens used the No. 27 overall pick on the two-time All-American. Before that, the last time was the 2022 draft when three went in the first-round in Kyle Hamilton (14), Daxton Hill (31) and Lewis Cine (32).

Ohio State safety Caleb Downs is not only a lock to be a first-round pick next year, but he could be the highest safety drafted since the New York Jets selected LSU's Jamal Adams with the No. 6 overall pick in 2017.

Redshirt sophomore Elijah Paige is a name to keep an eye on. The third member of the 2023 recruiting class that could enter the draft early, Paige earned his first career start in the Holiday Bowl as true freshman, which led him into becoming a full-time starter in 2024. 

Paige started all 13 games at left tackle last season. He overcame a disastrous performance against Michigan in Week 4, that saw him get benched at halftime, and became an anchor for the Trojans offensive line. The 6-foot-7, 320-pound Arizona native was named to the FWAA Freshman All-American Team. 

It’s more likely Paige enters the 2027 NFL Draft, but another 13-14 starts under his belt could propel him into the first-round conversation.