Talanoa Hufanga, Troy Polamalu’s Pupil, Is Ready To Make An NFL Impact…
Ryan Hartje (LA Times) — No USC prospect proved more in six games last season than safety Talanoa Hufanga, who led the conference in interceptions, won Pac-12 defensive player of the year and earned consensus All-America honors.
Still, Hufanga may wind up waiting until the third day of the draft to hear his name called.
A history of injuries, including two collarbone breaks, a dislocated shoulder, and a concussion, combined with a lack of top-end speed, have apparently made some teams wary. But Hufanga kept a clean bill of health last season while still maintaining his hard-hitting style in the box. Used correctly, his coaches suggest, his instincts will help make up for that speed.
In recent months, he’s trained one-on-one with one of the most instinctive safeties in NFL history, former Trojan and NFL Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu.
USC safeties coach Craig Naivar said he’s fielded several calls from interested NFL teams raving about Hufanga’s ability to break down defenses.
“He’ll translate because he’s what they want,” Naivar said. “He’s multi-faceted. They can put him in the box. They can play him high. They can blitz him off the edge. … I think too much is focused on what round you go in and stuff like that. When he gets somewhere, he’s going to be an impactful guy.”
At least three other Trojans should hear their names called in the middle rounds.
Like Aijah Vera-Tucker, wideout Amon-ra St. Brown was expected to declare for the draft if the Pac-12 hadn’t played its season in the fall. Instead, he caught seven touchdowns in six games as USC’s top receiver.
But that performance didn’t do much to change his draft stock. St. Brown is expected to be selected somewhere between the late second round and the fourth round.
Defensive tackle Jay Tufele opted not to play during the 2020 season, but he could still be picked in a similar range. Marlon Tuipulotu, who took over for Tufele as USC’s top interior defensive lineman, shouldn’t be far behind.
Wideout Tyler Vaughns and cornerback Olaijah Griffin are likely to be available in the late rounds and could find themselves on the outside looking in. But with the draft pool significantly smaller this year than in past years due to COVID-19, both might hear their names called late.
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