Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The Kansas City Chiefs got good news when tight end Travis Kelce announced he was coming back, followed by another break when the NFL announced it is not pursuing an on-field punishment of wide receiver Rashee Rice at this time based on some ugly off-field allegations — but QB Patrick Mahomes still needs an elite pass-catcher, and the first round of the coming draft is still perhaps the place to find such a player.

Enter Makai Lemon of USC, a hyper-athletic and fearless wideout who amassed more than 2,000 receiving yards across his time at the collegiate level and earned All-American honors last season. Lemon met with the Chiefs late last week, according to a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

“#USC WR Makai Lemon spent Thursday with the #Chiefs on a Top 30 visit, source said,” Rapoport wrote. “He’s also slated to visit the #Dolphins, #Giants, #Jets, and #Commanders.”

Makai Lemon Among 3 Wide Receivers Chiefs May Target in Round 1

GettyUSC wide receiver Makai Lemon.

Kansas City selects at No. 9, while the Jets (No. 2), Giants (No. 5) and Commanders (No. 7) all pick before the Chiefs in Round 1. The Dolphins come up at No. 11.

Miami badly needs a wideout, while the Giants are also a decent bet to go in that direction with their first pick. New York, however, selects highly enough that it should have its choice of the top three pass-rushers in this class, and just about every mock draft authored in the last several weeks has the Jets doing exactly that.

Washington is more of a wildcard, as the breadth of its needs include an edge-rusher, safety, linebacker and wideout. Some experts even believe the Commanders might throw positional contract value to the wind and select Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, should he fall that far.

There are also two other receivers in the rookie class who have cases to come off the board before Lemon: Carnell Tate of Ohio State and Jordyn Tyson of Arizona State.

All of this is to say that despite the need at receiver and the resulting competition the Chiefs might face for Lemon, there is a reasonable chance that he is available to them at No. 9.

And if he isn’t, Tate or Tyson likely will be.

Chiefs Could Look to Replace Travis Kelce With Tight End Kenyon Sadiq in Round 1

GettyUniversity of Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq.

In a recent round-robin mock draft at ESPN, which featured Mel Kiper Jr., Field Yates, Jordan Reid and Matt Miller, Kansas City went with a pass-catcher at No. 9 overall, though not at the receiver position.

Instead, Kiper predicted the Chiefs will select Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq in that spot as a one-year complement, then longterm successor, to Kelce.

“Yes, Travis Kelce is back in Kansas City. But he’s turning 37 next season, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes needs playmakers in this offense,” Kiper wrote. “Sadiq is as explosive and versatile as they come.”

Given the opportunity, Kiper may have mocked Lemon to the Chiefs, but Miller sent him to the Cleveland Browns at No. 6 as the first wideout off the board.

“My top-ranked wide receiver in the class goes to the Browns, who are undergoing a youth movement at the skill positions,” Miller wrote. “Lemon can create space for himself and knows how to vary his routes.”

Kansas City is also a potential landing spot for an offensive tackle or a cornerback with the No. 9 pick, or even an edge-rusher if one of the top three in the class fall to the bottom of the top 10.

Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible