Shedeur Sanders looks set to inherit one of the NFL’s thinnest wide receiver rooms, but that may not be the case for long. ESPN’s top draft analyst has a solution in mind, and it involves one of college football’s most productive pass-catchers in 2025.
Mel Kiper Jr. published his first-round mock draft on Tuesday, slotting USC wide receiver Makai Lemon to the browns” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-is-sponsored=”false”>Cleveland Browns at No. 24.
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“I’m a huge fan of Lemon, and he could go earlier than 24th,” Kiper wrote. “The board just sort of fell this way in this mock draft. Cleveland wouldn’t be complaining, though. It currently has Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman and Isaiah Bond atop its depth chart, meaning no real changes to a wide receivers room that had a league-low 1,467 yards last season.
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“Lemon nearly met that himself with 1,156 receiving yards over 12 games at USC. He has a slot receiver’s build at 5-foot-11 and 192 pounds, but he plays as if he’s much bigger, with a fierce approach to the game. Coupled with Monroe Freeling at No. 6, this would be a good first round for the Browns.”
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Cleveland’s entire receiver room combined for 1,467 yards in 2025, the lowest total in the league. Lemon posted 1,156 yards across 12 games.
The Browns’ need at wide receiver didn’t go unaddressed in reporting. The Athletic’s Zac Jackson identified the position as Cleveland’s biggest remaining need after the first wave of free agency.
“A thin and unreliable receiving corps needs help on all fronts,” Jackson wrote on Saturday. “The team is hoping Jerry Jeudy can bounce back after a miserable 2025, but both size and playmaking are needed to fill out the depth chart.”
Shedeur Sanders’ potential new weapon won the Biletnikoff Award and drew Top 30 visits from multiple teams
Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman and Isaiah Bond occupy the top three spots in Cleveland’s depth chart. The group gave Shedeur Sanders little to work with heading into his first NFL season.
Meanwhile, Makai Lemon won the 2025 Biletnikoff Award, finishing with 11 touchdowns and 14.6 yards per catch. He had seven Top 30 visits lined up before USC’s pro day, including a meeting with Cleveland at the NFL combine in February.
Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez
