USC football sends eight players to the NFL scouting combine — meet them all
The NFL announced a list of 321 invitees to the league’s big scouting combine that will run from February 26 to March 4. USC Football has eight former players who will put their skills on display for all 32 NFL teams to see. This comes two months before the 2024 NFL draft, which is from April 25 through 27.
One of the big hopes for Lincoln Riley as the successor to Clay Helton was — and is — that USC will be much more prominently featured in the NFL draft. Parents want to send their sons to schools which will develop NFL-quality players and establish a consistent track record of professional-quality teaching and guidance. One of the areas where Clay Helton and his staffs fell short of the mark was in player development. USC would have a few first-round-level stars under Helton, but the Trojans lacked players in the second and third rounds. That’s where the Pete Carroll teams stuffed the draft board and made the Trojans a prime NFL developer in the early 2000s.
Here are the eight USC Trojans who will head to the NFL scouting combine in two weeks:
CALEN BULLOCK
The hope for Calen Bullock is that after two years of receiving substandard coaching from Alex Grinch and Donte Williams, he will be able to measure up at the combine and become a prospect NFL teams will eagerly want to draft on Day 2 (second or third round).
CHRISTIAN ROLAND-WALLACE
Roland-Wallace, like Bullock, was part of an underperforming secondary at USC, but now he is free from the negative influences on USC’s 2023 defensive coaching staff.
JARRETT KINGSTON
Did the Holiday Bowl — in which USC’s offensive line played well — boost Kingston’s draft stock after a less-than-great regular season? We will see.
SOLOMON BYRD
USC’s defensive line just wasn’t good enough in 2023, but among the non-Bear Alexander players on that line, Byrd was better than most. Will one NFL general manager see his potential early enough to give Byrd a good situation? Stay tuned.
BRENDEN RICE
The San Francisco 49ers need to draft Brenden Rice. We all agree on this, right?
MARSHAWN LLOYD
Running backs named MarShawn have done well in the NFL before. Ask Pete Carroll.
TAHJ WASHINGTON
Remember how Amon-Ra St. Brown fell on the draft board? He turned out to be a lot better than his draft position a few years ago. Memo to NFL teams: Don’t let Tahj Washington fall outside of the top 100. This is a guy who should be off the draft board in the first 60 to 70 picks. He’s a baller who will make that 3rd and 5 catch and do what St. Brown has done for the Detroit Lions. You won’t be sorry.
CALEB WILLIAMS
Bears? Commanders? Patriots? Someone else. We’re all waiting.
