USC wide receiver Makai Lemon caused a stir at the NFL Combine on Friday after his ‘sassy’ demeanor sparked confusion online.
Lemon, who is projected to be taken high in the NFL Draft after an impressive 2025 season with the Trojans, was fielding questions from the media in Indianapolis when his bizarre antics left fans baffled.
For the majority of his discussion with reporters, the 21-year-old stood up on stage with both arms leaning on the table in front of him with his head tilted down and his eyes glaring upwards.
In one clip which has gone viral on social media, he says in a somewhat performatively manner when asked for an NFL player he models his game on: ‘Probably Amon-Ra St. Brown. The type of grit he plays with, the way he can have a positive impact on the team without the ball in his hands.’
And fans were stunned by his unusual vibe at the Combine.
‘Is bro trying to seduce me???? I’m uncomfortable,’ one user joked on X.
USC wide receiver Makai Lemon’s odd demeanor caused a stir at the NFL Combine on Friday
‘What in the world is this vibe? Dude was feeling this question,’ said another.
‘Strange, strange mannerisms. Incredible player though,’ a third concluded.
A fourth simply asked: ‘What is this body language’.
While a fifth quipped: ‘If you watch this on mute you would think he’s reading slam poetry’.
Lemon is entering this year’s NFL Draft after three seasons with USC, where he registered 137 catches for 2,008 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in 33 appearances.
Last season the Los Alamitos player had 79 receptions for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns, as well as two rushing touchdowns, as the Trojans finished 9-4 before suffering an overtime defeat to TCU at the Alamo Bowl.
Ahead of the Draft, Lemon revealed this week that he has visited the Kansas City Chiefs.
‘It went well,’ he said. ‘Great organization. Great players that come out of that program. It would definitely be a blessing to be around them guys again. It’d be cool.
‘Any team that I meet with, it’s a huge blessing to be around those guys. [Patrick] Mahomes is a great player. So, to be around him would be cool.’
