Makai Lemon: Playing alongside Giants' youth 'would be a huge blessing'
makai lemon met with the New York Giants at the 2026 NFL Combine on Friday and said playing alongside the team's young offensive weapons "would be a huge blessing, " a comment that landed as the Giants continue to evaluate receiving options while Wan'Dale Robinson is set to become a free agent next month.
Makai Lemon meets Giants' youth at the Combine
At the interview, Lemon named Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo and Jaxson Dart as the young players he discussed with the team and added: "It would be a huge blessing - they're great players. " That exchange came during a week the 2026 NFL Combine has teams meeting prospects to gauge fit ahead of the draft and free agency.
Versatile resume: Biletnikoff winner and multi-role play
USC's three-year stat line for Lemon includes 137 receptions for 2, 008 yards and 14 touchdowns. In 2025 he recorded 79 receptions for 1, 159 yards and 11 touchdowns and won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top college wide receiver; he was also named first-team All-Big Ten and a unanimous All-American. Over his collegiate career he totaled 2, 835 all-purpose yards and showed versatility by rushing, returning kicks and punts, throwing passes in games and even stepping in at cornerback when injuries required it.
How Lemon fits into the Giants' short-term decisions
With Wan'Dale Robinson slated for free agency next month, Lemon has been cast as a potential replacement in evaluative conversations. His 2025 production — 79 catches, 1, 159 yards and 11 touchdowns — and the Biletnikoff honor give the Giants concrete performance benchmarks to weigh as they decide how aggressively to pursue wide receivers during the draft and free agency windows the team is actively scouting this week.
Lemon's mix of contested-catch ability, return experience and occasional defensive snaps provides multiple roster roles the Giants can consider alongside their youthful group of playmakers. Coaches at the Combine are using interviews and on-field workouts to match player traits to roster needs, and Lemon's public remarks about the Giants' young core framed him as receptive to joining that room.
The Combine remains underway and the Giants will continue meeting with prospects through the event as they shape plans for the draft and free agency. The next confirmed item on the calendar for the team is the continuation of Combine evaluations and the approaching free agency period when Robinson is expected to reach free-agent status next month.
