Makai Lemon, USC football player, in action.
Image By USC Athletics
Makai Lemon, USC football player, in action.
Image By USC Athletics
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BrainyBallers

Is Makai Lemon the Next Jordan Addison? 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report & SPS Grade

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Updated April 22, 2026.

Jordan Addison went 23rd overall out of USC in the 2023 NFL Draft – a 5’11” slot receiver without prototype size who scouts said was “too small”. Addison arrived in Minnesota and immediately produced as a legitimate WR2, leveraging elite hands and the ability to create separation. Now USC’s Makai Lemon is walking the same path from the same school. The 5’11”, 195-pound receiver totaled 2,008 yards and 14 TDs in 33 games and is projected anywhere from pick 4 to pick 24 by various mock drafts. Lemon has already worked out privately for the Saints, Commanders, Browns, and Titans. The Addison comp is understandable, but does the SPS back it up? Let’s look at both the film and analytics and see if Lemon has potential to crack the top 10 all-time SPS grades.

The Addison comparison isn’t just about size and school – it’s about the archetype. Both are receivers who are looking to offer reliability rather than athletic outlier traits. Addison didn’t have elite measurables; Lemon doesn’t either. But what Addison had is the kind of detailed, precise play-making that holds up when the athleticism is average. Here’s a full film breakdown:

The Film Breakdown: Pros & Cons

We all should be looking at both film and analytics as we know they go hand-in-hand. The following consensus film critiques are derived from looks into Lemon’s game film, highlighting his positive and negative traits:

The Pros (The “Elite” Upside)

  • “Basically Never Drops the Ball” – Elite Hands: NFL Draft Files described Lemon as an “extremely reliable slot WR who creates consistent separation and basically never drops the ball at USC.” In 33 games and 137 receptions, drops were a non-story. This is a remarkable consistency rate for a receiver projected as a potential top-5 pick. This is the Addison quality that dynasty managers most covet: a receiver you can trust on critical third downs without worrying about whether the ball is going to hit the ground. (NFL Draft Files)
  • Quick Through Routes With Elite Burst Out of Breaks: Lemon is described as quick through his route with a burst out of his breaks that consistently creates separation. His double-move game is particularly effective: he produces a vertical threat that any NFL offense would love to have. (WalterFootball)
  • Top-30 Visits Across the League’s Most Selective Slots: Dane Brugler of The Athletic called his tape “1st round.” Ian Rapoport reported private workouts with the Saints (pick 8), Commanders (pick 7), Browns (picks 6 and 24), and Titans (pick 4) – all top-10 teams are kicking the tires on Lemon as a potential early investment. That level of organizational interest from teams picking in the top 10 indicates he’s not just being considered as a value Day 2 pick – he’s in legitimate WR1 conversations at the top of the board. (Yahoo Sports)

The Cons (The Refinement Needs)

  • Size and Testing Concerns Flagged by NFL Scouts: Sports Illustrated’s coverage of Lemon quoted an AFC scout calling him “too small and too slow,” noted he “didn’t test great,” and cited an NFL personnel executive saying, “Seems like something is missing, or maybe I’m missing something” when projecting his NFL star potential. SI wrote that at 5’11” with 30-inch arms, Lemon “doesn’t fit the prototype mold of a star receiver.” (SI.com)
  • Man-Coverage Separation Below Class Average per PFF: PFF’s 2026 NFL Draft guide writes that “Lemon lacks ideal size and top-tier NFL athleticism.” Against Man-single looks, his separation rate registered 30.56%, below the WR class average of 38.46%. PFF also grades Lemon 6/10 for long speed/vertical ability and 6/10 for run-after-catch/contact, and notes he projects primarily as a slot receiver with added return value. (PFF)
  • Physical Limitations Listed by WalterFootball: WalterFootball’s scouting report describes Lemon as “undersized,” “light,” and “short,” and says he “lacks elite speed.” The report adds he “could be limited to being a slot receiver,” warns he “could have problems with longer cornerbacks, and getting off jams and reroutes could be an issue for him,” and concludes he “may not have a defining trait to make him an elite receiver. He is not overly big or fast to dominate pro cornerbacks.” (WalterFootball)

For dynasty managers, it’s important to note that Addison was productive from Year 1 but never broke into the truly elite WR1 tier. Although this mainly could be due to being behind Justin Jefferson, Lemon’s path could depend entirely on landing spot and quarterback quality. The SPS gives you the objective pre-NFL baseline. Check out this CBS video that dives into the different landing spot scenarios for Lemon:

What Is Lemon’s SPS Grade?

For those of you who aren’t familiar, The Star-Predictor Score (SPS) is a scouting tool designed to maximize investment potential and reduce risks when drafting rookies in Fantasy Football. It is proven to have a higher accuracy than draft capital alone to predict fantasy football success. The SPS includes 13 to 17 metrics, with the exact number varying by the player’s position. All metrics are pre-NFL – and some are proprietary to BrainyBallers – providing a complete analysis of a player’s analytical profile. The SPS gained widespread notoriety for its high accuracy, having made it on Barstool and The Pat McAfee Show. The SPS database can be found here, and future projected SPS grades can be unlocked here.

As the Pat McAfee crew noted when reviewing our top 10 all-time prospects graphic: “They haven’t missed… those are all the guys they predicted would be stars and they hit on all of them.”

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*If you are already a Premium BrainyBallers member, use this link to view Makai Lemon’s SPS Grade.

SPS Eligibility Disclaimer

Note: To maintain the highest level of predictive accuracy, the SPS model is only applied to WR prospects projected within the top 60 picks of the NFL Draft. If a player’s projection or actual draft capital falls outside this range, they do not qualify for an official SPS grade. Current 2026 projections reflect Lemon as a potential top-10 overall pick, placing him well within the SPS eligibility window.

The Verdict

Can Makai Lemon follow Jordan Addison’s blueprint from USC to immediate WR2 production – or does the lack of elite athleticism and undersized frame cap his ceiling at high-floor WR3 territory? The film is compelling in both directions. The Star-Predictor Score measures the 13-17 pre-NFL metrics that historically have predicted which undersized, route-running WRs sustain at the NFL level and which ones plateau. Where does Lemon’s grade land?

[JOIN PREMIUM BRAINYBALLERS TO UNLOCK MAKAI LEMON’S SPS GRADE]

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Makai Lemon a top WR prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft?

Makai Lemon is among the WRs drawing Day 1-2 NFL Draft grades across major public boards (ESPN, PFF, CBS Sports). The full measurables and college production profile are broken down in our scouting report above, and the analytical grade lives in our Star-Predictor Score (SPS) rookies home.

Where should Makai Lemon be drafted in 2026 rookie fantasy drafts?

See our 2026 Rookie Mock Draft 2.0 where you will see he has been averaging in the top 3-4 picks.

Where does Makai Lemon rank in BrainyBallers’ 2026 rookie rankings?

See our 2026 Rookie Mock Draft 2.0 and SuperFlex Half-PPR Rookie Mock Draft for where Makai Lemon lands against the rest of the class.

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