Jarvis Landry was entering his third NFL season of proving people wrong when an honor came his way. He’d cracked the NFL’s annual list of the top 100 players, checking in at No. 98.
Landry took a picture of himself, plastered a large “97” on it, and taped it to his locker inside the Miami Dolphins’ training facility. Rather than take No. 98 as a badge of honor, he saw it as daily motivation to climb above the other 97 players ahead of him.
Perhaps soon, another slot receiver will do the same thing. There are those who compare Makai Lemon, who will be a first-round selection this year, to another ex-USC receiver, Amon-Ra St. Brown. There was a point when many had Lemon in the top third of Round 1, and that still might happen, possibly with the Dolphins holding the 11th pick, needing a receiver and hosting Lemon for a visit.
But as the draft draws closer, some are sliding Lemon slightly down their boards — the classic “stock” falling bit. One common knock: Lemon is a slot receiver. Fine, but Landry made five Pro Bowls from the slot. St. Brown is merely an All-Pro.
That’s not to say Lemon will be another Landry or another St. Brown, only that when Lemon says he’s “going to dominate,” he won’t be the first slot receiver to prove people wrong.
“Probably my fearlessness and my unwavering ability just to never back down,” Lemon said of what separates him from other top receiving prospects this year such as Carnell Tate of Ohio State and Jordyn Tyson of Arizona State. “Things don’t go right in the road, I’m never going to back down, tuck my tail. I’m going to problem solve.”
Lemon did not run at the NFL Combine. If teams had questions about his speed, he may have answered them by running a 4.46 at his pro day. While you wouldn’t want to put him in the starting blocks alongside Jaylen Waddle, Lemon’s 4.46 compares favorably to St. Brown’s 4.51 and Landry’s 4.77.
And for what it’s worth, Landry’s pre-draft score on NFL.com was just 6.10 (“potential to develop into a starter”), St. Brown’s was 6.21 (“eventually average starter”) and Lemon’s is 6.47 (“good starter within two years”).
Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver last season, catching 79 passes for 1,156 yards (14.6 average) and 11 touchdowns. St. Brown was limited to just six games his final season at USC, so going on a yards-per-game basis, Lemon’s 96.3 average exceeds St. Brown’s 79.7 and 80.2 his two final seasons with the Trojans.
Landry was taken 63rd overall by Miami in 2014 after averaging 91.8 at LSU. St. Brown made plenty of general managers look bad after going in Round 4 to Detroit in 2021.
“High-skill, high-volume slot receiver with average size but extraordinary ball skills,” analyst Lance Zierlein wrote on NFL.com while comparing Lemon to St. Brown. “Lemon has room for refinement, but not much. He’s intelligent, confident and polished with the ability to make plays on all three levels.”
Makai Lemon has ‘first-round value and Pro Bowl upside’
Should the Dolphins select Lemon to succeed Waddle, they might get results sooner rather than later.
“Lemon is a plug-and-play, quarterback-friendly talent with first-round value and Pro Bowl upside,” Zierlein wrote.
A Sports Illustrated report raised concerns about Lemon’s “measurables.” A personnel executive told ESPN that Lemon “didn’t test great” and had “rough interviews.” It sounds like the kind of fuel Landry once used. Or St. Brown, who memorized each of the 16 wide receivers drafted ahead of him. Asked which NFL player he models his game after, Lemon unsurprisingly said St. Brown.
“The type of grit he plays with,” Lemon said. “The type of way he can have a positive impact on the team without the ball in his hands.”
Lemon is 5-feet-11 and 192 pounds, in a similar mold to St. Brown and 13 pounds lighter than Landry, but prides himself on his blocking. As if to punctuate his feistiness, he said he considers Denver’s Patrick Surtain the best cornerback in the NFL, but also the one he’s eager to face.
“To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best,” Lemon said. “That’s kind of self-explanatory.”
How big is Makai Lemon?
5-11, 192.
Where is Makai Lemon from?
Los Alamitos, Calif.
How fast is Makai Lemon?
He ran a 4.46 at USC’s pro day.
What were Makai Lemon’s college stats?
As a sophomore in 2024, he played 12 games, caught 52 passes for 764 yards (14.7 average) and scored three TDs.
As the Biletnikoff-winning receiver last season, he played 12 games, caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards (14.6) and 11 TDs.
Does Makai Lemon come from an athletic family?
Definitely. His father, Michael, was a running back at UNLV and uncle Jerry was a defensive lineman at Fresno State. His relatives include ex-major-league outfielder Chet Lemon.
How deep are Makai Lemon’s football roots?
He says he received his first football jersey when he was 2.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: USC receiver Makai Lemon could fill Miami Dolphins’ need at receiver
Reporting by Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
