The Kansas City Chiefs own the ninth pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. What they do with that pick is literally anyone's guess but there could be a chance they take a wide receiver with that selection. If they do, Makai Lemon might be in the conversation.
Lemon put up nice numbers at USC a season ago but there are definitely red flags surrounding him as he enters the NFL Draft. The latest red flag comes in the form of a report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, who spoke with executives about Lemon. Fowler shared:
"What are you getting?" a personnel executive with an NFL team asked. "I love that dude, watching him last year, but evaluating him through the spring, which version of this player will show up in my building? He didn't test great, had a couple of rough interviews from what I've been told. Seems like something is missing, or maybe I'm missing something."
Fowler also wrote:
"Another NFL personnel source said Lemon's recall and detail of USC's offense was not the strongest during a team interview. If teams love his intensity and competitive demeanor, they could overlook that. Lemon's strengths are route running, running after the catch and contact balance. And, to be sure, plenty of star NFL players did not conduct great predraft interviews."
Chiefs may need to rethink Makai Lemon as red flags continue to surface
Truthfully, the Chiefs probably weren't going to take Lemon at No. 9 either way but with reports like these starting to surface, it'll likely further cement that they go in another direction. If they want to take a wide receiver with their first-round pick, Carnell Tate of Ohio State and KC Concepcion of Texas A&M are other names to keep tabs on with the ninth overall selection.
This wasn't even where Fowler and the executives' criticism stopped. An AFC scout slapped a slow label and a small label onto Lemon and those aren't necessarily things that NFL teams are going to be coveting in their wide receivers, especially not first-round prospects.
Perhaps Lemon ends up being a baller in the league but right now, it might be best for the Chiefs to avoid spending a top pick on him. If he's still there later in the first round where K.C. picks 29th or even falls to the second round, that could potentially work but the ninth pick should be spent elsewhere.