The 2026 NFL Draft is in Pittsburgh! This draft season, we’ll be scouting as many of the top prospects that the Pittsburgh Steelers could have their eye on. We’ll break down the prospects themselves, strengths and weaknesses, projected draft capital, and their fit with the Steelers.
If you’ve been following our mock draft roundup or perusing social media, pairing the Steelers with a wide receiver is a popular prediction. I’ve seen Makai Lemon mocked to the Steelers several times already, including
by ESPN’s Field Yates, so it feels appropriate that we kick off our draft coverage by examining the 2025 Biletnikoff Award winner.
The basics on Makai Lemon
- Position: Wide Receiver
- Class: Junior
- Size: 5 ‘11, 195 pounds*
- Age: 21 (06-02-2004)
- Draft projection: 1st round
*update coming after NFL Combine or other official measurements are released
Offensive stats via Sports Reference
Makai Lemon scouting report
If you’re looking for a reliable target hog in the middle of your offense, then Lemon is likely your top receiver among the 2026 class’ triumvirate of Lemon, Carnell Tate, and Jordyn Tyson. Lemon doesn’t have freaky size or speed, but he makes up for it with steady hands, a great feel for creating separation, and a competitive drive that allows him to fight for contested balls you wouldn’t expect a receiver of his size to come down with consistently. Lemon grew up in Los Alamitos, California, where he was a five-star recruit and ranked by ESPN as the No. 13 recruit in the country. He played on a national championship Pop Warner team with highly recruited quarterback Malachai Nelson, and the duo eventually played three years together in high school. Both Lemon and Nelson committed to Oklahoma, but changed their commitment to follow head coach Lincoln Reilly to USC.
Lemon saw some limited playing time as a freshman, but he broke out as a sophomore at USC in 2024, earing Third-team All-Big Ten. As impressive as that was, he took his production to another level in 2025, becoming one of the stars of college football en route to a Unanimous All-American selection, as well as winning the Fred Biletnikoff Award for college football’s best receiver.
If you were to break down Lemon’s game into the many traits that made him a great college receiver, number one would have to be his hands. I’ve watched a ton of receiver tape so far in preparation for this draft, and Lemon’s are quite possibly the best in the class.
Lemon’s next best trait is perhaps his competitive fire. Scrappy. Junkyard dog. Plays bigger than his size. These are common descriptors for Lemon’s game. He is fearless over the middle, and he fights for every ball, winning more often than not. In 2025, Lemon secured 10 of his 15 contested catch opportunities (66.7%).
Lemon generated 931 yards after the catch in college — 502 yards in 2025 — with an average of 6.8 YAC per reception. I will be curious to see how well it translates to the NFL. On the one hand, Lemon has a high football IQ and spatial awareness. He always seems to be falling forward and finding the little edges to add just a few more yards to most receptions. But watching him on tape, it struck me how often Lemon was set up for success because of his route deployment and the offensive scheme intended to quickly get him open in space. He doesn’t possess elite speed, and while he can put defensive backs on skates while running his routes, he doesn’t appear to have the same level of elusiveness once the ball is in his hands. A strong contact balance allows him to bounce off some attempted tackles, but his frame doesn’t have him running over defenders often, either.
I think this point is best portrayed by comparing Lemon’s YAC production in man against zone. In 2025, against man coverage, 8.5 YAC per reception, the fourth-best in college football among receivers with at least 25 such targets. Against zone, Lemon’s mark of 5.5 per reception was 16th-best. That’s still a good number, don’t get me wrong, but trailed a few big-bodied players like Denzel Boston and Ted Hurst, who are not considered to be strong after-the-catch creators.
When Lemon can beat his man one-on-one with his route, he’s more likely to create enough separation to boost his totals after the catch. In zone, which is more frequently deployed by defenses, his production after the catch is slightly less explosive. That’s not unusual for receivers, but it is a small concern if we’re looking to highlight flaws in Lemon’s game. Without elite speed and agility, could this be a problem for Lemon at the next level? Perhaps. But I’d wager that NFL teams will still value Lemon’s ability to squirm and fall forward for extra yardage consistently, even if he isn’t as explosive or slippery after the catch as a receiver in the Ja’Marr Chase mold. He might not be as elite after the catch as the general hype around him might imply, but he’s still dependable.
The other concern I have with Lemon is how heavily he was used in the slot. For his college career, Lemon lined up in the slot on 75.6% of his routes. His 112 routes out wide in 2025 were a career high, and I’d like to see him continue to develop that in the NFL, largely because of how league trends are starting to drift away from “Slot-only” receivers. In a recent discussion with Matt Harmon, J.J. Zachariason broke down the trend of these types of players “disappearing” in recent years. As the NFL starts to value versatility in receivers, and plays more multi-tight end and/or six offensive linemen packages, fewer and fewer receivers are making their living playing the type of slot rates Lemon was in school.
Strengths
- Strong, late hands, plucks the ball out of the air away from frame
- Always adding after the catch
- Spatial awareness
- + Contact balance, breaks more tackles than you’d expect for his size, 21 missed tackles forced in 2025 per PFF
Weaknesses
- Quicker than fast, he will need to prove he can win vertically at the NFL level with relatively average speed.
- Smaller sized. Played bigger than it in college, will that continue in the NFL?
- Compiles YAC but isn’t as elusive after the catch as you might expect. Breaks more tackles than ankles after the ball is in his hands
What others are saying about Makai Lemon
Lance Zierlein, NFL .com
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. Tempo-driven route-runner who misdirects man coverage and separates out of turns but is fairly average after the catch. He wins more combat catches than he loses. Could use a hair more patience to prevent rushing the route. Lemon is a plug-and-play, quarterback-friendly talent with first-round value and Pro Bowl upside.
Damian Parson, Bleacher Report
His toughness shines when he’s asked to work in the middle of the field. Lemon does the dirty work in the short and intermediate areas of the field. He is fearless between the hashes and fights through contact for every available yard. He plays bigger than his size. He’s an adequate run blocker as well and does not back down at the point of attack.
Keith Sanchez, The Draft Network
From the slot alignment, Lemon does a good job of reading defenders’ leverage and reading defenses to find the openings in a defense. He is quick in his release and at the top of his route, which allows him to uncover from defensive backs. Lemon does a good job of making catches in highly congested areas or jumping and high-pointing the football. He’s willing to jump up and make difficult catches that will result in big hits from the defenders.
Thomas Martinez, Sports Illustrated
As a route runner, Lemon shows off acceleration and body control to manipulate defenders and create separation. He is a shorter wide receiver who has played 70 percent of his snaps in 2025 in the slot and 75 percent over his college career. Due to his size, bigger corners can press and slow his release off of the line. Lining up off the line of scrimmage or using motion helps maximize his skillset.
Makai Lemon’s fit with the Steelers
It’s not hard to imagine Lemon’s fit with the Steelers, especially if they bring back Aaron Rodgers for one more year. Lemon can win at all three levels of the field, which would give the Steelers a receiving threat that can work the underneath and quick timing routes that Rodgers is so fond of. Should the Steelers go a different route at quarterback, Lemon is skilled in the intermediate and deep areas of the field. He has superior ball tracking, wins contested catches at a higher clip (57.1% career mark) than DK Metcalf (42.1%), and gives the Steelers a different style wideout to pair with Metcalf’s power-speed role, though that could be said about Tyson and Tate as well.
Barring a complete overhaul to the roster this offseason, Tate would need to work on his blocking ability to consistently stay on the field for running plays. With the Steelers among the teams leading the way in the NFL’s recent shift towards more multi-tight-end and jumbo packages, there are fewer and fewer snaps for slot-dominant players on early downs. Lemon shows the heart and toughness to develop this part of his game, but it’s worth noting.
TL;DR: Lemon is a smart and savvy receiver who plays bigger than he is, has the best hands in this draft class, and should thrive in a high-volume slot role in the NFL.
What are your thoughts on USC wide receiver Makai Lemon? And which draft prospects would you like to see profiled next? Let us know in the comments below!
