The entirety of the NFL descended on Indianapolis, IN, last week for the NFL Scouting Combine. One of the players Pittsburgh Steelers fans were keeping a close eye on was USC wide receiver Makai Lemon. Most NFL draft pundits have Lemon in their top three receivers in the 2026 NFL draft and a lock for the first round.
However, according to former Steelers defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko, Lemon bombed his interviews, according to information he got from a scout in attendance. There's been no word about what exactly Lemon did wrong, but there were multiple users on X who noted the Makai Lemon who spoke at the podium at the combine was entirely different than the player who spoke at the Big Ten media day at the start of the season.
I talked to a scout just now who said he didn’t know what Makai Lemon’s motive was behind his combine interviews but whoever advised the kid needs to be fired. “Absolutely bombed it” word for word.
— Breiden Fehoko (@BreidenFehoko) March 1, 2026
Lemon's on-field talent cannot be denied, but in today's NFL, you have to be more than a good football player for a team to invest in you. Our evaluation of Lemon hasn't changed based on these reports but if more concerns come out, the Steelers would be wise to be cautious with so many great receivers in this draft class.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Potential Steelers draft target Makai Lemon bombs combine interviews, per report