To nobody’s surprise, the 2024 NFL Draft began in excellent fashion for the USC Trojans. That QB Caleb Williams would be drafted first overall was a foregone conclusion, and his selection there by Chicago made him the sixth No. 1 overall pick in program history -- the most of any school.

After Williams, however, the Trojans’ other prospects faced a more uncertain future in the ensuing rounds of the draft. Most projections estimated that the program would see a total of about four or five Trojans drafted, with little certainty as to when the rest would start to come off the board.

But by the end of the three days, seven former USC players heard their names called as draft selections. Though the placement of some of those players may have been surprising for a variety of reasons, the seven picks mark the most for the program since 2011 and tied for the seventh most of any school in this draft.

All in all, the Trojans managed to hold their No. 2 spot on the all-time players drafted list without giving up any ground to No. 1 Notre Dame, which had the same number of players selected this year.

Here, we’ll break down each of the Trojans’ draft selections, their respective team fits and what we should be able to expect from them as they embark on their professional careers.

The city of Chicago and the NFL at large have long been preparing for Caleb Williams to become a Bear. There’s hardly been a shred of doubt since the NFL season ended that Williams would be the Bears’ guy at No. 1 overall, made all but certain when the team decided to trade away incumbent QB starter Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

What’s really intriguing about Williams’ fit with the Bears is the fact that he’ll be stepping into a far better situation than what most No. 1 overall quarterbacks walk into; perhaps even the best any of them has ever had. A key part of the equation there is the fact that this No. 1 pick was not the Bears’ own draft slot (No. 9), instead coming over from the Carolina Panthers, who traded this pick a year in advance for the right to move up to No. 1 overall in the 2023 draft. Along with handing this year’s top pick to Chicago, that trade further bolstered the Bears’ inventory of valuable draft picks while also sending over top-flight receiver D.J. Moore from Carolina.

With those additional picks, the Bears were able to add talent across the offensive line, creating a decent unit to protect their future quarterback. In addition, the Bears have made big moves to add skill position talent across the board. At running back, the team signed the elusive D’Andre Swift to pair with 2023 draft selection Roschon Johnson, giving them the foundation for an effective and versatile running game. At receiver, the Bears added to the game-breaking talent of D.J. Moore by trading a fourth-round selection in this year’s draft to secure the services of star wide receiver Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers and used their own No. 9 overall pick to select Washington WR sensation Rome Odunze. Put that all together and you’ll see that Williams has a shockingly talented offensive core to work with, one that almost certainly outstrips what most first-round QBs walk into, much less for No. 1 overall picks.

New Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron showed off his creativity and smarts in his first coordinator stint with the Seattle Seahawks over the past few seasons and should be well equipped to design an offense that taps into Williams’ strengths in conjunction with the talent all around him. As long as the Bears' offensive line is even passable, this offense should be primed to maximize on Williams’ rookie year, with the adequate talent across the board to ease his transition while producing at a high level.

In a city that has been starved of football success for decades and deprived of good quarterback play forever, Williams will be faced with both the expectation and the opportunity to take this franchise back to the upper echelon of the NFL. He couldn’t ask for a better situation to walk into; all that remains now is for him to take advantage on the field.

Calen Bullock has been one of the most talented players at USC over the past three years, and I maintain my assertion that he would have had a strong chance of going in the first round if the Trojans defense hadn’t been the dumpster fire it was under Alex Grinch. As it was, Bullock still received a top-100 selection as the fourth safety selected, to the newly-revitalized Houston Texans under DeMeco Ryans..

The Texans made one of the most dramatic turnarounds in NFL history in their first year under Ryans last year, with rookies C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson leading the way on their respective sides of the ball en route to a divisional round playoff appearance. With Stroud appearing to be one of the best young passers in the game and given the overall talent the Texans have added across the board, this team looks firmly poised to compete in the near future.

Bullock will likely begin his tenure with the team competing for snaps at the free safety position with veteran incumbent Jimmie Ward, who played his first year with the Texans in 2023 after nine years in San Francisco. Ward is a solid player and consistent presence in the secondary, but at 32, both his athleticism and durability are now in question (he missed seven games last season). With exciting third-year player Jalen Pitre at strong safety, the Texans probably made the move to select Bullock with the intention of finding their starting safety duo for the long haul. Though Bullock will certainly need to add mass and improve as a downhill tackler as he adjusts to the NFL game, he should be an instant difference-maker on the back end if allowed to play the centerfield role he excels at most.

His range, ball skills and feel for deep zone coverage should translate to the NFL game immediately, making him a serious threat to start games for this team fairly early. Though I imagine the Texans will rotate snaps between he and Ward to start the season, Bullock should have every chance to secure a starting position by the end of the year.

Like Bullock, MarShawn Lloyd was the fourth player at his position to be taken off the board. Considered by some (including the esteemed Daniel Jeremiah) to be the best back in this year’s class, Lloyd finds himself heading to a good landing spot in Green Bay where he won’t be expected to start but can still expect to see plenty of early snaps.

The Packers, who last year stepped into the ring of borderline contenders with the emergence of QB Jordan Love, are primed to feature the newly signed Josh Jacobs as their lead back this season. Jacobs has been a top-notch starter at the position over his five seasons in the league, winning as a relentless bruiser between the tackles, and he’s all but certain to be Green Bay’s starter after signing a four-year, $48 million deal this offseason. However, Jacobs is coming off the toughest season of his career, having run for a career-low 3.5 yards per carry while missing four games.

Lloyd should immediately slot in as the team’s primary option as a third-down/speed back, with every chance to take over full-time should Jacobs struggle or find himself hampered by injury. Don’t be surprised either to see the Packers deploy Lloyd as a kick returner given the NFL’s new kickoff rules, which should most advantage dynamic change-of direction running backs like the USC product. In a few years’ time, Lloyd might see the opportunity to fully wrest the starting position for himself should Green Bay seek to move on from Jacobs.