A number of USC Trojans will have their names called over the next three days of the NFL Draft, with quarterback Caleb Williams widely expected to go to the Chicago Bears with the No. 1 overall pick. NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. released his final Big Board this week, which includes his top 150 overall prospects as well as position rankings. Here’s a look at where those Trojans landed in his rankings.
QB Caleb Williams
Overall ranking: 1
Quarterback ranking: 1
Williams has been Kiper’s No. 1 overall prospect for quite a while. Here’s what he had to say about him in his breakdown:
“The Trojans struggled at the end of the regular season, losing five of their last six games, but it wasn’t Williams’ fault. There’s a reason defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was fired. Williams threw 30 touchdown passes to just five interceptions. He had a really tough game against Notre Dame, when he threw three of those picks, but he bounced back and played really well. He also surpassed his rushing touchdowns total from the previous season, finishing with 11.
Just turn on the tape from any of the games from Williams’ Heisman-winning 2022 season and you’ll see why he’s the top quarterback in this class. He had 52 total touchdowns — 42 through the air — with just five interceptions while completing 66.6% of his passes. He ranked in the top 10 in the FBS in QBR (87.6), passing yards (4,537), yards per attempt (9.1) and throws of 20-plus yards (69).
Williams is a fabulous playmaker, and there are “wow” throws all over his tape, even going back to his freshman season at Oklahoma. He’s incredible escaping the pocket and making off-platform throws, excelling when plays break down. His improvisational skills are off the charts — it’s amazing how he can make the first defender miss and create first downs out of thin air. He has great field vision and throws dimes to receivers while under duress. He’s very creative, which is not something we can usually say of quarterbacks.
Now, Williams is not the prototypical passer in terms of size. At 6-1, he’d be below average for a starting NFL quarterback. But as we saw with 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, size matters less and less to the execs making decisions in front offices.”
S Calen Bullock
Overall ranking: 102
Position ranking: 6
Bullock finished his USC career with 151 tackles, 15 pass deflections and nine interceptions, who of which he returned for touchdowns. He’ll need to continue to improve his tackling in the NFL, but his range and ball skills at the safety position are terrific. In looking at his overall ranking, No. 102 would be the second pick of the fourth round.
RB MarShawn Lloyd
Overall ranking: 104
Position ranking: 3
Lloyd was impressive in his one year at USC and has been solid during his pre-draft work. He’s in as the No. 3 running back for Kiper, but there has been plenty of talk regarding Lloyd potentially being the first back selected. There isn’t a clear first-round pick at the position and Kiper her Florida State’s Trey Benson just a couple spots above Lloyd at No. 101 overall. His top-ranked back is Jonathon Brooks of Texas, up at No. 66 overall.
WR Brenden Rice
Overall ranking: 115
Position ranking: 20
Rice performed well for the Trojans after coming in as a transfer from Colorado. He finished his USC career with 84 receptions for 1,402 yards and 16 touchdowns in two years. He’s shown up consistently as a fourth-round pick in mocks heading into the draft.
Position ranking: 30
Washington was another productive transfer for the Trojans, finishing his USC career with 163 receptions for 2,449 yards and 15 touchdowns in three seasons.
RB Austin Jones
Position ranking: 39
Jones finished off a productive college career with two seasons at USC after three at Stanford. And his stats were split fairly evenly across the two programs. He ended his college career with 2,337 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground, along with 901 receiving yards and three more scores.
Position ranking: 21
Kingston could be someone who appeals to a team because of his versatility as a guard and tackle on both sides of the line. He was terrific as a left tackle at Washington State and seemed to play better for the Trojans once he kicked out from right guard to right tackle. He put up some impressive strength numbers during the pre-draft process.
Position ranking: 27
Dedich is unlikely to be drafted, but should be able to sign with someone as a free agent. He also has some positional versatility at center and guard.
DT Kyon Barrs
Position ranking: 45
Barrs spent one season at USC after leaving Arizona. He had 18 tackles in 13 games with the Trojans.
OLB Solomon Byrd
Position ranking: 18
Byrd might have played himself into becoming an NFL draft pick this season with 49 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss and six sacks, plus four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Position ranking: 39
Roland-Wallace played cornerback in college but he’s listed as a safety by Kiper. He was impressive in coverage throughout the season and one of USC’s most consistent defenders. But he did not run well at USC pro day, posting a 4.64 in the 40-yard dash, which may have hurt him in the draft and with teams viewing him as a cornerback.
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