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USC wide receiver Makai Lemon.
There are a lot of different ways an NFL prospect can tank their draft stock. We’ve pretty much seen it all before.
It never makes it any less uncomfortable to watch.
USC wide receiver and projected 1st round pick Makai Lemon at least has a few months to repair the damage he seemingly did during interviews at the NFL scouting combine, where the Biletnikoff Award winner came away as 1 of the biggest stories of the week for all the wrong reasons.
Lemon’s interviews with the media left a bizarre impression.
“USC WR Makai Lemon has gone viral for his NFL combine interview when asked who he models his game after and looks up to in the NFL,” NFL influencer Dov Kleiman wrote on their official X account. Fans are extremely confused by his ‘demeanor.’ “
Lemon’s interviews with team personnel appear to have gone even worse.
“I talked to a scout just now who said he didn’t know what Makai Lemon’s motive was behind his combine interviews but whoever advised the kid needs to be fired,” NFL insider Breiden Fehoko wrote on X. ” ‘Absolutely bombed it’ … word for word.”
“Seeing lots of talk today about Lemon bombing his interviews ….. it’s true,” Anthony Betts wrote on X. “I was told the other day he did. Even some people at the combine told me he was a turn off. I know a few teams took him off the board. Does he fall? If he does how far? One team told me ‘Great player, horrible attitude. What a disaster.’ ”
It wasn’t so much what Lemon said as how he said it — simply watch the video of this answer to a simple question to see what that means.
“God forbid a guy get a little slithery,” Chargers Wire’s Alex Katson wrote on his official X account.
Lemon Could Be Pro Bowler as Rookie
If Lemon simply goes into a cave, turns off his cell phone and doesn’t reappear until the NFL draft on April 23, there’s still a good chance he gets picked in the 1st round. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Los Alamitos native is really that good.
He had just 6 receptions for 88 yards and no touchdowns as a freshman in 2023, then started to flash in 2024 with 52 receptions for 764 yards and 3 touchdowns.
In 2025, Lemon finally took the roof off with 79 receptions for 1,156 and 13 total touchdowns — 11 receiving and 2 rushing — in 12 games.
There’s some thought Lemon could step in and be a Top 10 slot receiver in the NFL from Day 1.
“High-skill, high-volume slot receiver with average size but extraordinary ball skills. Lemon has room for refinement, but not much. He’s intelligent, confident and polished with the ability to make plays on all three levels,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote. “Tempo-driven route-runner who misdirects man coverage and separates out of turns but is fairly average after the catch. Quicker than fast, featuring early acceleration to open seam throws but flashes late burst when needed. More play strength is needed for NFL press and he needs to avoid rushing through multi-breaking routes. He’s an exceptional ball-tracker with excellent catch timing and few focus drops. He wins more combat catches than he loses. Lemon is a plug-and-play, quarterback-friendly talent with first-round value and Pro Bowl upside.”
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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