PITTSBURGH — It wasn’t as if Makai Lemon wasn’t accustomed to playing in front of NFL talent evaluators during his time at USC. Almost from the moment the wide receiver stepped foot on campus, he was on everyone’s radar.
The interest only grew over the last two years when Lemon produced a combined 131 catches, 1,920 yards and 14 touchdowns, seemingly grabbing everything in sight.
USC receiver Makai Lemon, who likely will go in the first 15 picks of the NFL draft Thursday, took part in a camp Wednesday in Pittsburgh that featured top prospects. AP That included the times when he appeared to be fully covered, only to fight off his defender for the ball.
It’s why he’s now considered a lock to be selected somewhere within the first 15 picks of the NFL draft, with the Chiefs, Saints and Rams all strong possibilities.
It’s been a humbling experience for the Southern California native and former Los Alamitos star. As he soaks it all in from Pittsburgh, where he will take in Thursday’s first round in anticipation of hearing NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell call his name, he is doing his best to enjoy the experience.
“I’m just definitely cherishing every moment and just taking it all in,” Lemon said. “It’s definitely a blessing to be here and what I’ve got going for myself.”
Unbeknownst to Lemon, though, a very important set of eyes was watching him from a very different vantage point during his time with the Trojans. They belonged to Rams general manager Les Snead, who took in plenty of USC games more as a father than as an NFL executive, thanks to his son and daughter, both of whom attend USC.
It was in that role that Snead got a chance to sit back and watch USC play, just like any other fan or father with a vested interest in the outcome. Only for the lines between proud dad and NFL general manager to continually get blurred, the more Lemon kept popping into his scope.
That became a pretty routine occurrence, especially last season when Lemon earned the Biletnikoff Award as the best wide receiver in college football and first-team All-America honors. The more Snead watched as a fan, the more he recognized a prospect who could one day make his mark in the NFL
“When you saw the ball go up and it was heading toward Lemon’s hands, you always felt like he’d bring it down,” Snead said this week, when asked about USC’s star receiver.
Trojans receiver Makai Lemon is being coveted by many NFL teams, including the Rams, during the draft Thursday. Getty Images Lo and behold, the Rams hold the 13th pick overall in the first round of Thursday’s NFL draft, which just so happens to be the sweet spot when Lemon might be selected. Not only that, but the club also needs a wide receiver, both as a short-term addition to its dynamic duo of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams and potentially as the long-range Robin to Nacua’s Batman.
Hence, the smile from Lemon on Wednesday that stretched all the way from Pittsburgh to Manhattan Beach when hearing about the kick Snead got out of watching him sparkle over the last few years at USC.
“It definitely means a lot, coming from somebody like him,” Lemon said.
Lemon was among the 14 draft prospects on hand at a youth football clinic the NFL put on in Pittsburgh as part of draft week. On the eve of the life-changing moment he’s about to experience, he was soaking everything in, trying to stay as even-keeled as possible.
That is easier said than done, as the anticipation of where he’s going to spend the next chapter of his life rises to a peak level. In a matter of hours, everything he’s worked for, everything he’s dreamed about, everything he’s ever imagined about his lifelong football dreams is about to come true.
He’s doing his best to fight off thinking about all the scenarios. But every so often, the whole thing gets the best of him.
“Before I go to sleep, maybe,” he said, smiling. “But I really try not to think about it too much.”
That said, the possibility of playing for the Rams has clearly piqued his interest. Not taking anything away from anyone else, the Chiefs included at No. 9, but the thought of staying home and playing alongside Nacua and Adams is pretty enticing.
And yes, in his imagination, he’s already tried on a Rams uniform and done a test run in Sean McVay’s offense. The view was pretty good, too.
“I feel like it’d be a perfect fit, definitely,” Lemon said. “Just adding my play style, adding what I can do to the team.”
It also wouldn’t hurt to soak in everything about life in the NFL from a couple of made men like Nacua and Adams, either.
“Just learning from them guys,” Lemon said. “They’ve had so much production and been in the league and seen so much and done so much. So, to be alongside them would mean a lot.”
It’s only a matter of time at this point. The Rams make a lot of sense, obviously, but so do a bunch of wide receiver rooms across the NFL. Lemon said whatever team that drafts him is getting a special talent with a hard-nosed mindset.
“They’re bringing in a dog, you know?” he said. “Someone that also wants to win. Someone that’s gonna lead by example, that’s gonna do anything that the program needs me to do. At my best and at a high level.”
