PFF analyst names USC's Makai Lemon top receiver prospect for 2026 NFL draft
Last week, an ESPN analyst named USC's Ja'Kobi Lane as his top wide receiver prospect for the 2026 NFL draft. This week, PFF also released an early set of wide receiver rankings for next year's draft. Analyst Trevor Sikkema also had a Trojan atop his wide receiver board, but a different one.
Sikkema has not Lane, but Makai Lemon as his top wide receiver prospect for the 2026 NFL draft. In a recent post, Sikkema explained his reasoning.
"At 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, Lemon is on the smaller side. I have him categorized as a slot receiver, not just because he played 354 snaps in the slot compared to just 54 out wide in 2024, but also due to how he wins and his strengths. Lemon is lightning quick. 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.
"He is also a nuanced and technical route runner, despite being just a true junior entering 2025. He knows how to set up defenders against their leverage and can find soft spots against zone by tempoing his speed at different points in his route. Lemon's PFF Game Athleticism Score in 2024 ranked just above the 95th percentile, with five plays where he topped 20 mph. But more telling than his top speed is his play speed, evidenced by his 100 plays where he was clocked between 15-20 mph. Despite facing press on only 85 of his 262 receiving snaps in 2024, he already has a good baseline of different releases versus press coverage. And as a run blocker, he is feisty and strong for his body type.
"Lemon also fares well in PFF's stable metrics, which are predictive of success from year to year. In other words, if a player ranks highly in a stable metric in college, they have a strong chance of doing so in the NFL, even with a built-in dip in rate because of the bump in talent. The opposite is true, too.
"He placed in the 87th percentile in separation rate (83.6%) and ranked in the 65th percentile in separation rate against single coverage (63.3%) in 2024. His 3.03 yards per route run — a good way to look at per-play production — slotted him into the 89th percentile.
"When we think of WR1-caliber prospects in a draft class, big-bodied 'X' receivers often come to mind. That's true for most drafts. But just like in 2023 when Jaxson Smith-Njigba was WR1, there are outliers. The name of the game is getting open, and Lemon does that at a high level and possesses the traits to continue to do so in the NFL."
It remains to be seen which of Lemon or Lane will step up as USC's top wide receiver this fall. Regardless, the Trojans' wide receiver room should be in great shape with the two of them leading the way.
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