{"id":856053,"date":"2026-04-06T00:28:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T00:28:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/856053\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T00:28:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T00:28:24","slug":"chiefs-take-step-toward-pairing-makai-lemon-patrick-mahomes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/856053\/","title":{"rendered":"Chiefs Take Step Toward Pairing Makai Lemon, Patrick Mahomes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Chiefs'\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.<\/p>\n

The Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> got good news when tight end Travis Kelce<\/a> announced he was coming back, followed by another break when the NFL<\/a> announced it is not pursuing an on-field punishment of wide receiver Rashee Rice<\/a> at this time based on some ugly off-field allegations \u2014 but QB Patrick Mahomes<\/a> still needs an elite pass-catcher, and the first round of the coming draft is still perhaps the place to find such a player.<\/p>\n

Enter Makai Lemon<\/a> of USC, a hyper-athletic and fearless wideout who amassed more than 2,000 receiving yards<\/a> across his time at the collegiate level and earned All-American honors last season. Lemon met with the Chiefs late last week, according to a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.<\/p>\n

\u201c#USC WR Makai Lemon spent Thursday with the #Chiefs on a Top 30 visit, source said,\u201d Rapoport wrote<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s also slated to visit the #Dolphins, #Giants, #Jets, and #Commanders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Makai Lemon Among 3 Wide Receivers Chiefs May Target in Round 1\"Makai<\/p>\n

GettyUSC wide receiver Makai Lemon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kansas City selects at No. 9, while the Jets<\/a> (No. 2), Giants<\/a> (No. 5) and Commanders<\/a> (No. 7) all pick before the Chiefs in Round 1. The Dolphins<\/a> come up at No. 11.<\/p>\n

Miami badly needs a wideout, while the Giants are also a decent bet to go in that direction with their first pick. New York, however, selects highly enough that it should have its choice of the top three pass-rushers in this class, and just about every mock draft authored in the last several weeks has the Jets doing exactly that.<\/p>\n

Washington is more of a wildcard, as the breadth of its needs include an edge-rusher, safety, linebacker and wideout. Some experts even believe the Commanders might throw positional contract value to the wind and select Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, should he fall that far.<\/p>\n

There are also two other receivers in the rookie class who have cases to come off the board before Lemon: Carnell Tate of Ohio State and Jordyn Tyson of Arizona State.<\/p>\n

All of this is to say that despite the need at receiver and the resulting competition the Chiefs might face for Lemon, there is a reasonable chance that he is available to them at No. 9.<\/p>\n

And if he isn\u2019t, Tate or Tyson likely will be.<\/p>\n

Chiefs Could Look to Replace Travis Kelce With Tight End Kenyon Sadiq in Round 1\"Kenyon<\/p>\n

GettyUniversity of Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq.<\/p>\n

In a recent round-robin mock draft at ESPN, which featured Mel Kiper Jr., Field Yates, Jordan Reid and Matt Miller, Kansas City went with a pass-catcher at No. 9 overall, though not at the receiver position.<\/p>\n

Instead, Kiper predicted the Chiefs will select Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq<\/a> in that spot as a one-year complement, then longterm successor, to Kelce.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Travis Kelce\u00a0is\u00a0back\u00a0in Kansas City. But he\u2019s turning 37 next season, and quarterback\u00a0Patrick Mahomes needs playmakers in this offense,\u201d Kiper wrote<\/a>. \u201cSadiq is as explosive and versatile as they come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Given the opportunity, Kiper may have mocked Lemon to the Chiefs, but Miller sent him to the Cleveland Browns<\/a> at No. 6 as the first wideout off the board.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy top-ranked wide receiver in the class goes to the Browns, who are undergoing a youth movement at the skill positions,\u201d Miller wrote. \u201cLemon can create space for himself and knows how to vary his routes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kansas City is also a potential landing spot for an offensive tackle or a cornerback with the No. 9 pick, or even an edge-rusher if one of the top three in the class fall to the bottom of the top 10.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMax Dible<\/a> covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Chiefs\n\t\t<\/p>\n

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