USC Trojans have five go on first day of 2009 NFL Draft

The USC Trojns had three players taken in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft—more than any other school in the nation this year.

QB Mark Sanchez was selected fifth overall by the New York Jets. The Jets aren’t sold on former Oregon QB Kellen Clemens to lead them as a starter.

OLB Brian Cushing was selected 15th overall by the Houston Texans. Cushing will help bolster an already young Texans D.

OLB Clay Mathews was selected 26th overall by the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay moved up in the draft in order to get Mathews who they figure to help our for their 3-4 scheme.

This years three first round picks from USC gives the Trojans 74 first round picks in NFL Draft history—the most of any school. Ohio State is second with 68.

The second round saw two more Trojans go on the first day. ILB Rey Maualuga was selected 38th overall by the Bengals and DT Fili Moala was selected 56th overall by the Colts.

In eight years as head coach, Pete Carroll has seen 47 players drafted, including 14 in the first round.

Be The First To Comment »

 Pac-10 Links: Jake Locker ready to play and are the Beavers about to lose their Offensive Coordinator

ESPN’s Ted Miller writes that Jake Locker is feeling much better: both about his thumb and about the new coaching staff at Washington. With a pro-style offense coming, Locker should be seen running less and passing more, which should keep him from getting banged up so much.

---

Could the Oregon State Beaver’s Offensive Coordinator, Danny Langsdorf, be heading for the sunny skies of Florida? There are plenty of rumors online right now that have Langsdorf as being on Miami Coach Randy Shannon’s short list.

---

Former Tennessee quarterback Tee Martin had been in the running to be the next QB coach at Oregon. But it seems he has passed on Oregon to join the staff atNew Mexico.

---

ESPN’s NFL draft guru Mel Kiper has USC quarterback Mark Sanchez as a top three pick. Wow! Seems a bit high to me, but you have to take a look at the teams picking near the top, and it does seem the Kansas City Chiefs are in need of a QB.

Be The First To Comment »

 USC’s next QB – Who will it be? A look at who’s left.

USC’s Mark Sanchez has declared for the NFL draft foregoing his senior season. Head coach Pete Carroll was clearly not very happy with Sanchez’s decision. I suspect this is in part due to the fact that suddenly the Trojan’s are lacking in the experienced QB department. Let’s take a brief look at who is left at QB for the USC Trojans.

Garrett Green (6′2″/200 lbs.) – Green is entering his senior season with the Trojans. I don’t really consider him a QB candidate (and I’m guessing neither do the USC coaches) although that was his natural position in high school. Green has been used mostly as a utility-type of player, having played some WR, special teams, and safety. He will more than likely be used in these areas again for the 2009 season. Again, not a viable candidate to take over the starting QB role, but can be used at that position in emergency situations.

Mitch Mustain (6′3″/210 lbs.) – Mustain attended Arkansas in 2006 where he started—and won—eight consecutive games for the Razorbacks. During the 2006 season he played in 12 games overall completing 52.3% of his passes, accumulating 894 yards, 10 TD’s and 9 INT’s. He transferred to USC in 2007 and sat out that season due to the NCAA transfer rules.

During the 2008 season Mustain, who will be a red shirt junior, started at third on the depth chart, but that was short-lived as he eventually grabbed the back-up role from Aaron Corp. Late in the season, however, Mustain relinquished that role back to Corp.

Aaron Corp (6′4″/195 lbs.) – The soon-to-be red shirt sophomore Aaron Corp is a promising young quarterback. He started off the 2008 season as the back-up to Mark Sanchez, but eventually lost the job to Mitch Mustain. He was making too many mental errors and simply needed time to get his game together. He’s a very athletic QB and moves very well.

Matt Barkley (6′3″/225 lbs.) – Barkley is an incoming freshman to USC.  He is a drop back passer with a great arm and is very smart. I don’t think he moves quite as well as Aaron Corp, but overall may eventually be a better QB. Barkley is the No. 1 rated high school quarterback, and would have been considered the No. 1 overall high school player if not for Bryce Brown.

So the QB race really seems to include three players: Mustain, Corp, and Barkley. I suspect Aaron Corp will eventually win the job, but it will definitely be a race between him and Mustain. Barkley would probably have red shirted had Mark Sanchez not entered the NFL draft, but now, look for him to also be in competition for the back-up and, possibly, starting role.

Be The First To Comment »

 USC’s Mark Sanchez declares for NFL draft

And Pete Carroll isn’t too happy.

You see, now Pete has to figure out who his starting QB will be. Carroll says he’s happy for Sanchez, but that he wishes he would have stayed for his 5th year.

Sam Bradford (Oklahoma), Colt McCoy (Texas), and Tim Tebow (Florida) all said they’re going to return to school, so that must have made Sanchez’s decision a little easier. He went to probably being the No. 2 QB taken—and quite possibly the No. 1 QB. It’s clearly economics for him, and in today’s economic struggle I think he’s made the right decision.

1 Comment »

 Pac-10 Links: Will USC QB Mark Sanchez stay or go, how high are the Beavers, more.

So far, USC has lost both its offensive coordinator (Steve Sarkisian) and defensive coordinator (Nick Holt) to Washington. Many, including myself, have wondered what the draw to Washington is. Holt was asked this very question and offers a pretty good answer.

---

Mark Sanchez says he’s “right in the middle” on whether he will declare for the NFL draft or not. He’s rated the third best quarterback for the draft. Matthew Stafford (Georgia) has already declared, and it’s rumored that Sam Bradford (Oklahoma) is going to declare.

---

Paul Buker from The Oregonian has an interesting take on where Oregon State should rank if Utah were to be considered for No. 1.

Be The First To Comment »

Next Page »