Top 10 USC draft picks in the last 10 years

USC boasts an impressive list of players who have made it to the NFL - who has been the best, though? We take a look at some players over the past 10 years

By Josh Eccles@JoshEboy Apr 26, 2018, 7:50am PDT

With the NFL Draft slated to begin on Thursday there will undoubtedly be some Trojans on teams’ bog boards - the likes of Ronald Jones, Rasheem Green, and Sam Darnold (to name a few). While we await to see where they land, let’s take some time to recognize some of the big names to come out of the program in recent memory. Everyone likes a good countdown, so here we go:

10. Keith Rivers (2008) - Round 1, Pick 9

USC v Washington — SEATTLE - SEPTEMBER 29: Keith Rivers #55 of the USC Trojans on the field before the game against the Washington Huskies at Husky Stadium on September 29, 2007 in Seattle, Washington.
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Here’s a player who was highly touted coming out of high school and was even named First-team All-PAC-10 and an All-American in 2007. His success in college didn’t exactly translate to a star-studded NFL career, though: drafted by the Bengals, he spent his first 4 seasons there before signing with New York Giants in 2012. From there he bounced around to Buffalo and Dallas before finally being released by the Cowboys in 2015. He has not been on an NFL roster since.

9. Matt Kalil (2012) - Round 1, Pick 4

Notre Dame v USC — LOS ANGELES - NOVEMBER 29: Matt Kalil #75 of the USC Trojans walks on the field after the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on November 29, 2008 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. USC won 38-3.

Brother of Ryan Kalil, Matt was an All-American in 2011 and was selected 4th overall by Minnesota Vikings. He made the Pro Bowl in 2012 and signed a 5 year, $55 million deal with the Carolina Panthers in 2017. The signing made Matt and Ryan the third set of brothers to play on the same offensive line in the NFL and the first set of brothers to do it in 24 years.^[In his first season with the Panthers, he started all 16 games at left tackle. He has been a solid starter in the NFL and will look to continue to make his mark at the position for years to come.

8. Leonard Williams (2015) - Round 1, Pick 6

USC v Arizona — TUCSON, AZ - OCTOBER 11: Defensive end Leonard Williams #94 (R) of the USC Trojans in action during the college football game against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium on October 11, 2014 in Tucson, Arizona. The Trojans defeatred the Wildcats 28-26.

It took a while for Williams’ mental acumen to catch up with his physical prowess on the football field but coaches and scouts see him now coming into his own. Last season alone Williams was tied for 7th in the NFL with 25 hits on the quarterback; on his career he has 65. He was a Pro Bowl player in 2016 and has made strides playing for Todd Bowles in New York as of late. At USC he was a leader on the defensive side of the ball - he had 20 career sacks and made a name for himself as he was a consistent source of frustration for opposing quarterbacks. He is still young and shows a lot of promise, so Trojan fans should be eager to see him continue to develop as the years unfold.

7. Malcolm Smith (2011) - Round 7, Pick 242

UCLA v USC — LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 28: Linebacker Malcolm Smith #6 of the USC Trojans runs to the end zone after intercepting a pass thrown by quarterback Kevin Prince #14 of the UCLA Bruins for a 62-yard touchdown during the first quarter of the NCAA college football game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 28, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Following the action is Bruins head coach Rick Neuheisel (R).

Smith was drafted with the 242nd overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks, a move that reunited him with his former USC head coach Pete Carroll. The early stages of his career saw him serving more of a backup role in Seattle before winning MVP honors for his performance in Super Bowl XVIII. He then signed two year deal with Oakland and, in 2015, he put up career-year numbers as he tallied 122 total tackles and 4 sacks. He signed a massive contract with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017 before being sidelined for the entire season with a torn pectoral suffered during training camp.

6. Juju Smith-Schuster (2017) - Round 2, Pick 62

Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual - USC v Penn State — PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 02: Cornerback John Reid #29 of the Penn State Nittany Lions attempts to tackle wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster #9 of the USC Trojans during the 2017 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2017 in Pasadena, California.

Juju Smith-Schuster earned immediate playing time as a true freshman in 2014. In his first career game, he had four receptions for 123 yards against Fresno State. During his three year career at USC, he was able to tally 213 receptions, 3,092 yards, and 25 touchdowns. Smith-Schuster was drafted by the Steelers in the second round of last April’s draft and put up impressive numbers as he and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger found chemistry on the football field. Look for him to continue the momentum heading into his sophomore campaign.

5. Nelson Agholor (2015) - Round 1, Pick 20

USC v Oregon State — CORVALLIS, OR - NOVEMBER 01: Wide receiver Nelson Agholor #15 of the USC Trojans runs with a pass reception during the first quarter of the game against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium on November 1, 2013 in Corvallis, Oregon.

There is a decent amount of Super Bowl experience on this list, and here we have the most recent example of such. Nelson Agholor played a huge role in the success of the Philadelphia Eagles this past season - he was one of quarterback Carson Wentz’s favorite targets as he, through 13 game, tallied 62 receptions and 768 receiving yards to go along with his 8 touchdowns. In Super Bowl LII he put up 84 receiving yards and helped his team take down the dynasty that is the New England Patriots. Pretty decent value for a late first round selection.

4. Robert Woods (2013) - Round 2, Pick 41

Colorado v USC — LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 20: Robert Woods #2 of the USC Trojans scores his second touchdown of the game on a 29 yard pass play in the second quarter against defensive back Kenneth Crawley #2 of the Colorado Buffaloes at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 20,2012 in Los Angeles, California.

One of my favorite Trojans in recent memory comes at #4. Woods was as reliable as they come while he played for USC - in three seasons he amassed 252 receptions, 2930 receiving yards, and 32 touchdowns. His first four seasons in Buffalo were pedestrian at best - much to the chagrin of fans in the Los Angeles area, though, he signed a 5 year, $39 million contract with the Rams and put up a solid 56 receptions, 781 receiving yards, and 5 touchdowns through only 12 games before being sidelined by a shoulder injury. Expectations are high for him and his team heading into 2018.

3. Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews, Rey Maualuga (2009) - Round 1, Pick 15 & 26, Round 2, Pick 38

USC Spring Game — LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 19: (L-R) Kyle Moore #84, Brian Cushing #10, Rey Maualuga #58, and Everson Griffen #93 of the USC Trojans lead teammates out onto the field before the spring practice game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on April 19, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.

This trio has all made their respective marks in starting rotations on the defensive side of the ball in the NFL since they were drafted in the 2009. Clay Matthews is the most decorated of the bunch (SuperBowl XLV Champion, 6x Pro Bowler, First Team All-Pro, 2x Second Team All-Pro, 2010 Defensive Player of the Year, 80 career sacks) but it just felt right grouping these three players together in our rankings. Brian Cushing was 2009’s Defensive Rookie of the Year and is a 2x Second Team All-Pro and is the Houston Texans’ all-time leading tackler but was released on February 20 of this year after struggling with repeated suspensions for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Rey Maualuga, while he has not made any Pro Bowls, boasts over 600 tackles in his career and remained a solid starter during his time as a Cincinnati Bengal.

2. Jurrell Casey (2011) - Round 3, Pick 77

Arizona State v USC — LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 11: Jurrell Casey of the USC Trojans rushes against the Arizona State Sun Devils on October 11, 2008 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. USC won 28-0.

Casey has carved out a pretty decent career for him thus far and seems to be entering what should be his prime. At 28, he is the anchor on the defensive line for an up-and-coming Titans team (which also is home to Trojans fan-favorite Adoree Jackson). In his career he has accumulated 387 total tackles and 39 sacks. On July 28, 2017, the Tennessee Titans signed Casey to a four-year, $60.4 million contract extension, that includes $24 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $8 million, so he seems to be doing pretty well for himself.

1. Tyron Smith (2011) - Round 1, Pick 9

USC v Minnesota — MINNEAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 18: Quarterback Matt Barkley #7 of the USC Trojans, flanked by Tyron Smith #70 and Ronald Johnson #83, runs off the field after the Trojans scored a touchdown during the first half of the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on September 18, 2010 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Coming in at #1 in our rankings is none other than Tyron Smith. Smith, who was selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the 9th overall pick, is a 5x Pro Bowl, 2x First Team All-Pro, 2x Second Team All-Pro player who has made his mark as the leader on an impressive offensive line. He was marred by injuries but his resume speaks for itself and the hope is that he will be able to bounce back and continue to solidify his standing as one of the better prospects to come out of USC in recent memory.

Do you have any other Trojans who you have enjoyed seeing play in the NFL over the last decade? Let us know in the comments below!

Fight on!