Former USC wide receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane gave Trojans fans a small dose of nostalgia after Saturday’s NFL preseason game between the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles.
Baltimore beat Philadelphia 24-7, and after the final whistle, the two former USC stars linked up, shared a few laughs, and caught up on the field. The moment quickly stood out to anyone who followed their run together in Los Angeles.
Lemon, now with the Eagles, didn’t play in the preseason game because of a hamstring injury. Lane, playing for the Ravens, was active and finished with three catches for 38 yards and a touchdown.
The 2026 NFL Draft sent the two former teammates in different directions. Philadelphia took Lemon at No. 20 overall, while Baltimore grabbed Lane at No. 80 in the third round.
At USC, they were one of the most dangerous receiver pairings in college football. Their production helped power Lincoln Riley’s offense into one of the nation’s most productive units, and last season they finished as the Trojans’ top two receiving threats. Together, they piled up 1,901 yards and 15 touchdowns as USC went 9-3 and came up just short of the College Football Playoff.
Lemon’s individual season was the one that drew the hardware. He closed the 2025 campaign as a Unanimous All-American and won the Biletnikoff Award, becoming the first Trojan to claim the honor since Marqise Lee in 2012.
He totaled 79 receptions for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns, which ranked second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. In his sophomore season with the Buckeyes, he recorded 87 receptions for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns.
USC has a long track record of sending wide receivers to the NFL, and that lineage includes Amon-Ra St. Brown, Drake London, and Michael Pittman Jr.
Lemon has even modeled his game after St. Brown.
Now both receivers are trying to carry that Trojan pedigree into the league. Lemon enters his rookie year with an Eagles team trying to climb back to the top of the NFC, while Lane looks to carve out a role in a Ravens offense led by Lamar Jackson.
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