Kansas City Chiefs to get a closer look at a 2026 NFL Draft prospect who could be ripe for the taking with the No. 9 overall pick

One of the top wide receivers in the 2026 NFL Draft class is scheduled to visit the Kansas City Chiefs.

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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Feb 28, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Southern California wideout Makai Lemon (WO29) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the more fascinating teams to watch entering the 2026 NFL Draft at the end of April. Head coach Andy Reid and the Chiefs are in an unusual spot selecting in the Top-10 overall selections, an extremely rare occurrence for the team. With the No. 9 and No. 29 selections in hand, Kansas City has a chance to be a huge winner in about a month.

There are several positions that the Chiefs could target with their top overall selection, with most analysts mocking defense to them early, which makes sense. Getting quarterback Patrick Mahomes another weapon is also an interesting idea. Tight end Travis Kelce is nearing the end, while wide receivers Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy haven’t yet become dependable targets.

Former USC star wide receiver Makai Lemon is reportedly scheduled to take a 30 visit with the Chiefs, according to NFL Draft insider Ryan Fowler. While there is always an outside chance that Lemon could be available near the end of the first round, the odds are high that the Trojan pass catcher will be gone way before that. Lemon would have to be the selection at No. 9 if the Chiefs want him.

While Lemon hasn’t had the cleanest draft process so far, he has one of the easier projections to the NFL level. He is an incredibly talented wide receiver who excels as a route runner. Lemon is also very good after the catch, and is also better at the catch point than you would expect. He isn’t the athlete that either Worthy or Rice is, but he is a much more nuanced wide receiver coming out of college than those two.

Makai Lemon’s career background

A star for Los Alamitos (Calif.) High School, Lemon was considered to be a consensus four-star and a top-100 player coming out of the 2023 recruiting class. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Lemon ended up rated as the No. 44 overall player, the No. 7 wide receiver, and the No. 4 player from the state of California. USC managed to win out for Lemon over the likes of Georgia, Alabama, Texas, LSU, Oregon, Michigan, Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Penn State, Florida State, Arizona State, Arkansas, Colorado, Utah, Michigan State, Arizona, Washington State, and Oregon State, among others.

After serving as a backup as a freshman in 2023, Lemon became one of the best wide receivers in college football over the last two seasons. During his three seasons with the Trojans, he managed to haul in 137 receptions for 2,008 yards and 14 touchdowns. Lemon also added another two scores on the ground during his career, as well. He was the winner of the Fred Biletnikoff Award during his final season with USC, which is given to the top wide receiver in the country every year.

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