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Two USC Trojans in latest ESPN two-round mock draft

Erik-McKinneyby: Erik McKinney2 hours agoErikTMcKinney

Two USC Trojans are set to go off the board in the first two rounds of April’s NFL Draft, according to the latest mock from ESPN’s Matt Miller.

The first is no surprise. Wide receiver Makai Lemon has been viewed as a sure-thing first-round pick since late in the college football season.

Miller has Lemon going No. 16 overall, to the New York Jets, saying:

“We’re still not reaching for a quarterback, instead going with a “best player available” pick with one of my favorite players in the class. Lemon caught 79 passes with only one drop on 110 targets last season, scoring 11 touchdowns and averaging almost 100 yards per game. Lemon doesn’t have elite measurables at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, but he’s similar to Amon-Ra St. Brown in his toughness and ability to make plays across the middle and on underneath routes. The Jets have a talented young receiver in Garrett Wilson but need to build out the wide receiver room around him. With two picks coming in Round 2, the Jets have the draft capital to address more needs with high picks.”

In this mock, Lemon is the third wide receiver off the board. That’s consistent with where he’s been placed by most draft experts, who have Lemon either No. 2 or No. 3, along with Ohio State’s Carnell Tate and Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson at the top of the position list.

If Lemon is selected in the first round, he’d be the third Trojan wide receiver selected in the first round of the draft over the past five years. Drake London went No. 8 overall to the Atlanta Falcons in 2022 and Jordan Addison went No. 23 overall to the Minnesota Vikings in 2023.

The second USC Trojan in this mock draft is safety Kamari Ramsey, who goes to the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 40 overall, the 8th pick of the second round.

Miller says:

“With Bryan Cook set to hit free agency, the Chiefs have a hole at safety with no up-and-coming prospect ready to fill it. Ramsey is a ball-hawking, rangy free safety who can play in a split or single-high safety look.”

That would be a great result for Ramsey, who had much less of an impactful 2025 season compared to 2024 as he played in the slot for most of the year before suffering a season-ending injury against Iowa that sidelined him for the final three games of the year. USC has not had a true safety selected in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft since Taylor Mays went No. 49 overall as the 17th pick of the second round to the San Francisco 49ers in the 2010 draft. Calen Bullock went midway through the third round of the 2024 draft to the Houston Texans and has been a standout player in his two seasons.

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Garry Paskwietz (1966-2019)

Garry Paskwietz was a pioneer in bringing team-specific sports coverage to the internet. He founded WeAreSC in 1998 and was an Emmy winner for his work with Fox Sports West. Always generous with his time, knowledge, and compassion, he touched the lives of countless USC and high school football fans.

Garry Paskwietz