Here is where USC’s top prospects stand ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine
Ryan Kartje (LA Times) — Drake Jackson can’t tell you why he couldn’t put on weight at USC. But as hard as the Trojans’ top edge rusher tried last season, stuffing himself every moment he could, the extra meals never seemed to stick. By the end of the season, Jackson measured in at a mere 238 pounds, far lighter than he — or NFL scouts — were hoping.
So when his training for the NFL scouting combine began at Exos in the offseason, adding weight was a top priority. Now, with nothing else to do but train, the pounds piled up.
“This is what I was trying to do at SC,” Jackson said. “I couldn’t gain a pound to save my life. Got here, then got humongous.”
It’s not an exaggeration. Weighing in at nearly 270 pounds ahead of this week’s combine, the hulking Jackson barely fit inside the frame of a Zoom conversation he had with The Times last week. Muscles bulged in every direction.
He never matched that total again over two more seasons. But with the extra weight on his frame, Jackson is sure he won’t have any problem proving himself at the combine.
Forty pounds heavier, he said, “I still feel like a freak, you know?”
How convinced scouts are by that transformation should become clear this week.
“Just can’t wait to go put on a show, man,” Jackson said.
The potential top receiver in the draft won’t work out in Indianapolis while he continues to recover from the ankle injury that ended his final season at USC. But London told reporters Wednesday that he plans to take part in USC’s Pro Day later this month.
That showcase will be crucial for London as NFL scouts suss out questions, not only about the All-American wideout’s ankle, but also his speed and ability to separate. A 40 time in the 4.5 range could go a long way to ensuring London is selected near the top of the draft.
He’s trending in that direction right now, as teams have finally turned to his tremendous film from last season, when he caught 88 passes for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games while leading all of college football in contested catches. Some prognosticators have already slotted London inside the draft’s top 10, in front of other top wideouts like Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson and Alabama’s Jameson Williams.
RB Keaontay Ingram
When Ingram first heard that Lincoln Riley had been hired as USC’s coach, he admits he seriously considered coming back for another season in the Trojans backfield.
Ingram met with Riley, who tried to sell him on a workhorse role that would ask him to line up all over the field.
“That’s a role I’ve been looking for since I’ve been in college football,” Ingram said. “It was a pretty good talk. But like I told him, I’ll be 23 playing running back next year. Sometimes, you have to make a business decision.”
How that decision works out in the upcoming draft will depend in part on the impression Ingram leaves this week in Indianapolis. There’s no guarantee that he’ll be drafted, but after a strong showing in the Shrine Bowl, Ingram is confident he can capitalize.
“The combine is going to help me dramatically,” Ingram said.
Chris Steele breaks up a pass intended for ND WR Lorenzo Styles Jr. on Oct. 23 in South Bend, Ind. (Paul Sancya / AP)
Once seen as early-round prospects, both of USC’s starting corners from last season will have plenty to prove through the draft process.
Neither lived up to their full potential while playing in Los Angeles, but both have skill sets and measurables that suggest they could find their way with the right NFL team. Those tools should be on display this week.
For Steele, his size — at 6 feet 1, 190 pounds — and physicality should help get him drafted in the later rounds. But there will be questions to answer about his penchant for penalties.
Taylor-Stuart’s stock is less certain, but his straight-line speed should turn some heads this week. Don’t be surprised if he tests among the fastest defensive backs at the combine.
latimes.com
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I am very confident that, if a player needs to add weight, in Lincoln Riley’s regime, that player is going to add weight.
Greg Dulcich, the superior TE out of UCLA just ran a 4.61, to lead (temporarily) all the TEs at the first day of the NFL Combine. UCLA’s always been a pretty good TE school, and I think Dulcich (a Bruin walk-on) and Marcedes Lewis (boy, did Pete Carroll ever try hard to get that guy!) are the best I have ever seen play for the little gutties.
Bring back the swagger…
One of my USC favorites — Robinson, Allen and Goux
Clay Helton, USC’s Player Servant Clay The Cat Helton was surprisingly named HC of GA SO on Nov 2. Here’s what Helton explained during his intro presser as the new Eagles coach: “I’ve gone 26 years as a coach, and the last six weeks, it [was] taken away from you. And you realize how special it is to you. You’re not around players that you love, and the team that you love and not being a servant to kids,” Helton said of his long-awaited and overdue USC dismissal. I think that says it all. The Cat (who also always catered to… Read more »
The Cat is a servant to his own stupidity. He will continue to serve his stupidity while bringing down those around him. My daughter (a Georgia Southern alumnae) thinks Clay the Cat will be just super. I am trying to impart some reality to her expectations–she ain’t buying. GSU will be predictably disappointed.
Just curious. What does your otherwise extremely smart daughter come up with when she talks about The Cat?
She thinks that the change of venue will be fine and dandy for Helton and that alone will make him develop as the good head coach GSU needs. My Georgia Tech grad wife backs her up. I guess they missed my live and in person Saturday anguish during the last few football seasons moaning about Uncle Clay.😫
Sounds like you’ve been ganged up on.
Do they think LR will return USC back to monster program stature?
I sure do, and a look at USC’s very realistic prep targets for 2023 is such an uplifting change after watching The Cat, earlier known as Gentleman Clay, flop all over the place.
Your daughter is in for a big letdown.. You can’t fix STUPID!
Who knows he may do okay in the scaled down expectations of the Sun Belt Conference. Recruiting 2 and 3 star players is his specialty!
This was a great move by Clay. I think he totally maxed out his situation and regrettably deserves credit for that.
Thing is, he has never been taught how to be a head coach. He hasn’t worked under anyone that could teach him how it’s done. He is self taught with an ego that will not let him see his shortcomings and mistakes. His concept of serving his players is bending over backwards for them instead of teaching them hard lessons in life and how to use those lessons to become better.
The Cat did a real Disservice to his players. Failing to get the best out of them for the limited time they have to play football. Playing favorites and being soft is not service.
He was able to recruit some NFL level players, especially earlier in the Helton Circus. But it seems that most of these better players did not improve or deteriorated in their skills while at SC.
When strength and conditioning couldn’t add weight, it seems we had the wrong coach. However gaining that much weight in such a short span (3 or 4 months) doesn’t exactly sound healthy either.
I am rooting for Drake to go high in the draft and hoping people see Ingram’s potential. Both showed individual strength in becoming legitimate players in spite of having been associated with the Cat.
Seems like Drake (both) have broken the curse of the CAT.
How many times during the dark days of Helton did we hear the words “didn’t live up to his potential”? Such a waste of so much talent over those years.