Men of Troy head to the draft
By Marcelo Figueroa
Hey everyone my name is Marcelo and I’m going to be the ATVN Sports Director for the 2008-2009 USC sports year. I will be a senior and have worked in sports for ATVN throughout my entire USC career. You can read my entire bio under the management team page. I’m looking forward to blogging about all that is ‘SC Sports from here on out through my time here.
This year’s NFL Draft promises to be full of Men of Troy. The Trojans should be well represented, as a strong senior class heads this year’s draft. Two players are even expected to go as high as Top 10: Defensive Lineman Sedrick Ellis and Linebacker Keith Rivers. Both players had a strong senior campaign, especially Ellis who anchored the talented USC defensive line.
Of course, this is all contingent on a team’s needs. As we have seen in previous drafts, one team who passes on a player can send that player into freefall – dozens of picks later and for millions of dollars less, that player is finally drafted (ie Aaron Rodgers in the 2005 draft).
Other players you should keep an eye on in this year’s draft from USC: Tight End Fred Davis, who is expected to go somewhere early in the 2nd round. Davis had his biggest year as a senior. He has good size, great speed, and big, soft hands that capture any ball thrown his way. Also expected to be taken in the 2nd round are Offensive Linemen Sam Baker and Chilo Rachal. The departure of these players is sure to leave some gaps to fill for the Trojans in the upcoming season, but they are sure to thrive for any team that takes a chance on them in the draft.
Now this is where things get interesting – Day 2 of the draft (rounds 3-7). Many people thought Quarterback John David Booty would have been better served leaving after his junior year with the Trojans where he put up better numbers than he did in his senior campaign. And they may have been right. In the 2007 draft, he would have most likely been a late 1st round pick. In this year’s draft, he can go anywhere between the 3rd and 5th rounds. Scouts have questioned his arm strength and accuracy downfield, but I think he has the smarts to do well in the NFL. This pro-like system run by Coach Carroll here at USC should make Booty a great reader of defense, as he is already a solid decision maker. If he can fix the arm angle the produced so many overthrown balls and sailed passes, he could be a steal this late in this year’s draft.
On a final note, the surprise of USC’s pro day had to be Running Back Chauncey Washington. He ran a 4.3 second 40-yard dash, surprising many scouts, and I think even himself. He had his struggles at USC, but made the most out of his opportunities here and could be taken somewhere early in Day 2 of the draft.
The NFL Draft will take place April 26th and 27th.
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