USC's next draft class could be its best in years.
Three players are listed atop their respective positions and five are among the top five, according to Mel Kiper's latest rankings. Though the draft is 11 months away, these projections serve as a good baseline for where some of USC's players generally stand and perhaps which juniors will be weighing an early departure.
Adoree' Jackson is the No. 2 junior cornerback. He's also the Trojans' lone defensive player on Kiper's lists, which go five deep at every position for both juniors and seniors.
Perhaps surprisingly, Justin Davis is the No. 1 senior running back. (The junior class includes the likes of Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook and Christian McCaffrey.)
JuJu Smith-Schuster is the top-rated junior receiver. Zach Banner is the top-rated senior offensive tackle. Damien Mama is the fourth-rated junior offensive guard.
USC's junior class still isn't particularly big, thanks to the NCAA, so there isn't another obvious candidate among the juniors or redshirt sophomores to declare for the draft. (Maybe an offensive lineman will parlay a big junior campaign into a payday.) Even Mama would likely need to have a standout season to put himself in position to forgo his senior year.
The Trojans didn't have a first-round draft pick last month, the third time that's happened in four years. Next year they might produce three first-rounders for the first time since 2009.
Three players are listed atop their respective positions and five are among the top five, according to Mel Kiper's latest rankings. Though the draft is 11 months away, these projections serve as a good baseline for where some of USC's players generally stand and perhaps which juniors will be weighing an early departure.
Adoree' Jackson is the No. 2 junior cornerback. He's also the Trojans' lone defensive player on Kiper's lists, which go five deep at every position for both juniors and seniors.
Perhaps surprisingly, Justin Davis is the No. 1 senior running back. (The junior class includes the likes of Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook and Christian McCaffrey.)
JuJu Smith-Schuster is the top-rated junior receiver. Zach Banner is the top-rated senior offensive tackle. Damien Mama is the fourth-rated junior offensive guard.
USC's junior class still isn't particularly big, thanks to the NCAA, so there isn't another obvious candidate among the juniors or redshirt sophomores to declare for the draft. (Maybe an offensive lineman will parlay a big junior campaign into a payday.) Even Mama would likely need to have a standout season to put himself in position to forgo his senior year.
The Trojans didn't have a first-round draft pick last month, the third time that's happened in four years. Next year they might produce three first-rounders for the first time since 2009.
