USC and the NFL Draft, by the numbers

The 2022 NFL Draft begins Thursday evening in Las Vegas and several USC Trojans are hoping to hear their names called. USC has a long history of success in sending players to the NFL via the draft and a few more are on the way this year.

Here, we’re looking at USC’s history in the NFL Draft, by the numbers.

16

Sixteen USC Trojans from the 2021 roster took part in Pro Day activities on campus. Drake London performed at his own pro day event a few weeks after the other 15.

As a refresher, here are the names:

Punter Ben Griffiths, tight end Kohl Hollinquest, running back Keaontay Ingram, defensive lineman Drake Jackson, offensive lineman Liam Jimmons, safety Greg Johnson, tight end Erik Krommenhoek, wide receiver Drake London, running back Vavae Malepeai, linebacker Kana’i Mauga, offensive lineman Jalen McKenzie, wide receiver KD Nixon, running back Samuel Oram-Jones, safety Isaiah Pola-Mao, cornerback Chris Steele and cornerback Isaac Taylor-Stuart.

5

Five Trojans were invited to the NFL Combine, held in early March. Ingram, Jackson, London, Steele and Taylor-Stuart were there, likely providing a ceiling for the number of players who could hear their names called this week. Five is also the USC record for first-round picks taken in one draft, which happened in 1968. Offensive tackle Ron Yary went No. 1 overall and fellow tackle Mike Taylor went No. 10. Miami and Alabama share the record for first-round selection in a draft, with six.

83

USC has produced 83 first-round selections in its history, which is good for second all time. Ohio State holds the top spot on that list with 85. USC dominated the list for many years before suffering an extended slump over the past decade. USC held a 79-69 lead over Ohio State in this stat heading into the 2016 draft. The Trojans produced seven first-round picks in the 2008 and 2009 NFL Drafts combined.

But USC has just nine first-round picks in the 12 drafts since then. London will become the 84th first-round selection in USC history on Thursday evening. The most consistent landing spot for London in mock drafts is at No. 10 to the Jets. He’d be the fourth USC Trojan selected in the first round by the franchise since they took Leonard Williams in 2015. The Buckeyes are virtually guaranteed to have at least two first-round picks this year, so that gap could grow again.

1939

Since 1939, at least one USC Trojan has been taken in every draft.

2

There have been at least two Trojans selected in every NFL draft since 1939, with one exception. Defensive back Brian Kelly was the only USC player taken in the 1998 draft, which kept USC’s streak of at least one player taken alive. There have been two Trojans picked just five times in that span. The most recent came in 2020, when offensive lineman Austin Jackson and wide receiver Michael Pittman were taken.

15

Fifteen Trojans were taken in the 1953 draft. That groups was led by first-round pick Al Carmichael. USC had 14 players drafted in 1975 and 1977, making it the only school to produce at least 14 picks in on three separate occasions. Fifteen also marks the number of times USC had at least 10 players drafted, which is the most of any program.

516

USC claims 516 draft picks in its history. That’s good for second all-time behind Notre Dame, which claims 520. Just as Ohio State overtook USC for the most first-round picks in recent years, the Fighting Irish jumped the Trojans recently as well. Since the 2012 draft, Notre Dame has had 52 players selected, compared to 40 for USC. This will not be a massive draft class for Notre Dame. That means USC will have an opportunity to keep this gap close. Both programs have comfortable leads on Ohio State, which ranks third all-time with 473 picks.

3

Three players drafted looks like the floor for USC in this draft. London is going to go in the first round. He could be a top-10 pick and the first wide receiver selected. Jackson is a bit of a wildcard in that projections have bounced around on him. He was looked at as a potential first-round pick coming into the season, then was being put in the third round on occasion. A mid-to-high second round selection would probably be a solid landing spot for him, but it only take one team falling in love with a potentially tremendous pass rusher for him to go in the first. Outside of those two, the likliest pick is Ingram. But the Trojans hope several others could be selected.

Malepeai showed a tough running style and willingness to contribute on special teams during his time at USC. McKenzie developed well this past season and over the offseason, with an understanding of what it takes to contribute in the NFL. Taylor-Stuart bring plenty of speed at cornerback and Steele has the strength and pedigree to potentially stick at that level. And Griffiths should be considered in the mix as well. He didn’t dominate in college, but he’s ascending in his career and it’s always tough to figure how NFL teams rank and value punters in the draft.