PITTSBURGH — Makai Lemon spent Wednesday in Pittsburgh taking in the moment, and on Thursday he was set to find out how soon the NFL would call his name. The USC wide receiver, one of 14 draft prospects at a youth football clinic in the city during draft week, is regarded as a lock to go somewhere within the first 15 picks.
Lemon said he is trying to slow the week down and remember it. “I’m just definitely cherishing every moment and just taking it all in,” he said, adding, “It’s definitely a blessing to be here and what I’ve got going for myself.”
The numbers explain why he arrived here as one of the draft’s most polished players. Lemon produced 131 catches, 1,920 yards and 14 touchdowns over the last two seasons at USC, then followed that with the Biletnikoff Award last season as college football’s best receiver and first-team All-America honors. That kind of production has made him a strong possibility for the Chiefs, Saints and Rams, with Los Angeles sitting at No. 13 overall and in clear need of a wide receiver.
The Rams’ interest carries an extra layer because general manager Les Snead has spent years watching USC games while his son and daughter attended the school. Snead said this week that whenever the ball went up to Lemon, he felt certain what would happen next. “When you saw the ball go up and it was heading toward Lemon’s hands, you always felt like he’d bring it down,” he said.
Lemon said that meant a great deal to him. “It definitely means a lot, coming from somebody like him,” he said. For a player who has already piled up the production and awards, the draft now feels less like a destination than the start of the next round of proof.
