It's getting to be about the time to start taking mock drafts seriously. Conference championship games are about to get underway, and the top prospects have put a lot of film out there for the evaluators to watch.
The latest mock from The Athletic's NFL Draft guru, Dane Brugler, is one that San Francisco 49ers fans are sure to love.
At pick No. 24 overall, Brugler has the Niners taking USC wide receiver Makai Lemon in what could be the steal of the draft. Brandon Aiyuk and the Niners are heading for a nasty divorce. Jauan Jennings has looked like he'll be packing his bags, too, this offseason.
Simply put, the receiver position is about to become a colossal need.
Kyle Shanahan and 49ers would be giddy if Dane Brugler's 1st-round mock draft comes to fruition
It's clear that receiver is a need, but is Lemon the best prospect to fill it? The answer should be an emphatic "yes."
The junior leads the Big Ten in receptions (79), yards (1,156) and touchdowns (11). You can put a big fat check mark in the production column for him. He's not a one-year wonder either, with solid sophomore campaign in which he recorded 52 catches for 764 yards and three touchdowns as well.
Physically, he's not the most imposing specimen. Lemon is listed at 5-foot-11, 195 pounds. That's on the smaller side, but he's not tiny and has enough bulk to hold up on routes over the middle. He isn't going to wow with track-star speed either, but he is quick in and out of his breaks and shifty with the ball in his hands.
Brugler noted as much, writing, "What Lemon (5-11, 195) lacks in size, he makes up for with his manipulative route running and competitive finishing skills at the catch point. Get ready for the Amon-Ra St. Brown comparisons."
Do the Amon-Ra St. Brown comparisons have you drooling yet? They should. Lemon does everything that Kyle Shanahan wants out of his receivers, with crisp and savvy route running, second only to yards after the catch ability on his wish list of receiver traits.
Lemon's performance has earned him the third-highest wide receiver grade in the nation at 90.4, and he's put up elite metrics like 3.13 yards per route run, a 66.7-percent contested catch rate, a 2.5-percent drop rate, and a superb 81.0 grade against man coverage.
Lemon lasting until No. 24 overall would constitute something of a steal. Brugler has him ranked 20th on his big board, currently, while Pro Football Focus is even higher on him, ranking him as the ninth-best prospect in the draft.
If things play out this way, San Francisco will get a huge injection of youth and high-end potential in the receiver room, and that's exactly what the club desperately needs.