From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Southern California tight end Lake McRee.
NO. 87 LAKE MCREE/TE/USC – 6040, 243 POUNDS (Redshirt SENIOR)
MEASUREMENTS
Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Lake McRee 6040/243 9 1/4 31 1/2 N/A
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
DNP DNP DNP DNP
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
DNP DNP 22
THE GOOD
-Wide catch radius and displays the ability to go up and pluck the ball over defenders
-Fluid mover in space; comfortable running routes from numerous alignments
-Nuanced route runner with good tempo; able to vary speeds within his routes
-Understands spacing well within offense and knows how to find spots in zone
-Tough, hard-nosed pass catcher over the middle with sure hands in traffic
-Has some wiggle after the catch; had a handful of explosive plays
-Willing blocker that will stand in and fight with d-linemen
THE BAD
-Long injury history, particularly lower body
-Lacks the length and play strength to hold up consistently as an in-line blocker
-Asked to serve as an extra pass blocker at times, and cannot anchor against 3-techs and EDGE defenders
-Sloppy technique as a run blocker; takes inconsistent angles
-Route tree was bland at USC; lots of seam routes, crossing routes, corner/flag routes, and glance routes off the line
-Most of his big plays came on busted coverages
STATS
-2025 stats: hauled in 30 passes for 450 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games
-Career stats: 97 receptions for 1,154 yards and seven touchdowns in 51 games across five seasons
-Named second-team All-Big Ten TE in 2025
-Honorable mention All-Big Ten TE in 202
INJURY HISTORY
-Suffered a torn ACL in 2019 in high school, missing his entire junior season
-Suffered a torn ACL in practice heading into the Holiday Bowl game in 2023
-Missed four games in 2024 with a knee injury before returning for the stretch run of the season
-Had his spring season in 2025 shut down early due to nagging injuries
BACKGROUND
-Born September 4, 2002
-Attended Lake Travis High School, the same high school that produced Baker Mayfield, Garrett Wilson, and five other NFL players
-Earned 2020 PrepStar All-Midlands recognition before heading to USC
-Played basketball at Lake Travis for four years
-Former 3-star recruit who was the No. 37 TE in the country
-Redshirted in the 2021 season after appearing in four late-season games as an early enrollee
-Competed in the 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl
-Combine invite
TAPE BREAKDOWN
It pays to be a solid pass-catching tight end during their golden age in today’s NFL.
USC’s Lake McRee, a redshirt senior set to turn 24 years old in September, is one of the more underrated pass-catching tight ends in the 2026 NFL Draft class.
Though he’s dealt with several injuries in his career, particularly to his knees, McRee is a smooth-moving tight end who made some impressive plays during his career at USC.
I question some of the play strength as a blocker, but not as a route runner. He’s able to fight through contact and has a nice frame to go up and win the football in contested-catch situations.
This was a nice play against Notre Dame last season. You can see him fighting through contact early on in the route, coming off the line of scrimmage. He doesn’t allow himself to get bumped off his route, and he’s able to fight vertically and then break to the corner.
From there, he high-points the ball perfectly for the score, showing off his catch radius.
As a pass-catching weapon, he’s tough as nails. He’s unafraid to go over the middle and take a big shot to make a play. He does a great job of securing the football in the air when he knows a big blow is coming.
This rep against Illinois on the road last season was a good example of that.
Late in the first half and on a glance route, McRee does a nice job of getting upfield and slipping behind the linebacker. He puts himself between the safety and the cornerback, though, which can be dangerous in that part of the field. His quarterback does well to protect him, but McRee still takes a big shot—nice work to hang on.
Where he’s at his best as a pass catcher is working up the seam.
He has a great feel for working behind linebackers, and once there, he consistently gets his head around to find the football. More often than not, he and his quarterback are on the same page.
McRee is a dependable weapon over the middle, and he showed that often last season.
Where he has some shortcomings is as a blocker, particularly in pass protection.
USC surprisingly asked him to remain in as an extra pass protector at times. He struggled doing so against Purdue early in the season.
He doesn’t have the length or the anchor to hold up in these types of situations. Here, he gets dumped into the quarterback’s lap. Fortunately, the quarterback was able to get rid of it without taking a sack, but it is a good example of how McRee doesn’t have the play strength to work in pass protection in these matchups consistently.
That said, I love the competitiveness.
It doesn’t have to be pretty; you have to hold up long enough.
Here against Purdue, McRee did just that. He does his best to stay square and engaged with the defender, and he provides enough of a block to allow his quarterback to get off a throw. Of course, you can see McRee is too far out over his toes with his punch, leading to him being tossed aside at the end.
CONCLUSION
Overall, I like McRee as a multi-alignment-moving tight end. He has some juice to his game after the catch and displayed the ability to change his speeds as a route runner, settle into soft spots, and be a dependable pass catcher. He’s also unafraid to go over the middle and take a big shot to make a play.
My concern is as a blocker. He has a good frame size-wise, but he needs more play strength if he’s going to be asked to handle some in-line snaps in the NFL. He can move all over from the boundary to the slot to the H-back role. But he has to make improvements as a blocker to stick.
McRee reminds me a lot of another former Shrine Bowl tight end, Blake Whiteheart, now with the Browns. He has a ceiling of a TE2 in the right scheme, but without some improvements as a blocker, he looks like a fringe TE3 that could hear his name called late on Day 3.
NFL Projection: Late Day 3
Steelers Depot Grade: 6.0 MED (Pure Backup)
Grade Range: 5.6-6.6
Games Watched: Purdue (2025), Illinois (2025), Notre Dame (2025), Oregon (2025), UCLA (2025)
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