March 18, 2026, 2:46 p.m. PT
Entering the 2026 NFL Draft, USC wide receiver Makai Lemon is in high demand. There are numerous teams that could use his services in order to help out their young quarterbacks. Lemon has even been predicted to land with one of the best offenses in the NFL in the Los Angeles Rams. Lemon is as good as it gets as a playmaker, and whatever offense he lands with he will elevate to another level.
In his mock draft 2.0, Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt predicted that a top landing spot for Lemon could be the New Orleans Saints, who are very much in need of another playmaker.
“Lemon is a great player in space,” Klatt said “There isn’t a player in this draft who has the feel for space like Lemon does. He operates in the middle of the field as well as anyone. He thrived for USC in that role, and he just understands football. He knows how to work coverage and is great with the ball in his hands.”
The Saints recently picked up running back Travis Etienne Jr. in free agency to plays alongside wide receiver Chris Olave and talented tight end Juwan Johnson. Their goal is seemingly to make things easier for quarterback Tyler Shough, who at times looked like the best rookie QB in the league last season. Adding Lemon to the mix would do exactly that, and would help further the development of Shough in hopes of him taking a big jump in year two.
Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.