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In a time devoid of sports, the NFL draft may be more anticipated than ever before as it gets underway Thursday night at 5 p.m. PT.

Of course, that was always going to be the case for USC left tackle Austin Jackson and wide receiver Michael Pittman, who learn where their football careers will continue and what all of their work, training and performance to this point has amounted to in the eyes of NFL scouts and decision-makers.

The draft starts with the first round Thursday night, rounds 2-3 on Friday and the final four rounds on Saturday, and the unusual production -- with NFL general managers making decisions from their homes and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announcing the selections from his home -- will be simulcast on ESPN, NFL Network and ABC.

Jackson is one of 58 prospect invited to participate in the draft virtually and is widely projected as a first-round selection.

Here's a breakdown to get fans ready to enjoy a taste of sports this week and see where two successful Trojans take the next step in their careers:

When: Round 1 begins 5 p.m. PT Thursday, rounds 2-3 start at 4 p.m. PT Friday and rounds 4-7 start at 9 a.m. PT Saturday.

TV: The draft is being simulcast on ESPN, NFL Network and ABC.

Here's a final roundup of the mock draft projections and latest buzz for USC's draftees:

-First round, No. 18 overall, to the Miami Dolphins -- NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah

-First round, No. 18 overall, to the Miami Dolphins -- NFL.com's Bucky Brooks

-First round, No. 18 overall, to the Miami Dolphins -- John Clayton, Washington Post

-First round, No. 18 overall, to the Miami Dolphins -- Bleacher Report's Matt Miller

-First round, No. 18 overall, to the Miami Dolphins -- USA TODAY's Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz

-First round, No. 18 overall, to the Cleveland Browns (projected trade from the Miami Dolphins) -- NY Daily News' Manish Mehta

-First round, No. 20 overall, to the Jacksonville Jaguars -- ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.

-First round, No. 21 overall, to the Philadelphia Eagles -- NFL.com's Charley Casserly

-First round, No. 22 overall, to the Minnesota Vikings -- The Athletic's Dane Brugler

-First round, No. 24 overall, to the Cleveland Browns (projected trade from the New Orleans Saints) -- NFL.com's Chad Reuter

-First round, No. 26 overall, to the Miami Dolphins -- NBC Sports' Peter King

-First round, No. 26 overall, to the Miami Dolphins -- The Ringer's Danny Kelly

-First round, No. 27 overall, to the Seattle Seahawks -- Tampa Bay Times' Eduardo Encina

-First round, No. 29 overall, to the Tennessee Titans -- NFL.com's Charles Davis

-First round, No. 31 overall, to the San Francisco 49ers -- NFL.com's Peter Schrager

-First round, No. 31 overall, to the San Francisco 49ers -- Newsday's Nick Klopsis

-Second round, No. 33 overall, to the Cincinnati Bengals -- ESPN's Todd McShay

-Second round, No. 37 overall, to the Los Angeles Chargers -- CBSSports.com's Josh Edwards

-Second round, No. 62 overall, to the Green Bay Packers -- The Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer

-First round, No. 30 overall, to the Green Bay Packers -- NBC Sports' Peter King

-Second round, No. 34 overall, to the Indianapolis Colts -- ESPN's Todd McShay

-Second round, No. 48 overall, to the New York Jets -- Bleacher Report's Matt Miller

-Second round, No. 48 overall, to the New York Jets -- The Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer

-Second round, No. 48 overall, to the New York Jets -- The Ringer's Danny Kellly

-Second round, No. 58 overall, to the Minnesota Vikings -- CBSSports.com's Josh Edwards

First, and always most importantly to remember with mock drafts, most of them will be wrong! Take the varied projections above for example. That alone speaks to the fact that nobody truly knows what is going to happen once the draft gets beyond the first handful of picks. But mock drafts are fun discussion starters and intelligent people put a lot of time, logic and reasoning into them, so it's good fodder if nothing else.

Offensive tackles are always in high demand, and all it takes is for two or three to go in a row or earlier than expected and then panic sets in for GMs in need of offensive line help.

By all accounts, Jackson impressed scouts at the combine and his size and athleticism will be enough for many to project a high ceiling for his career, so it seems highly likely that he is selected in the first round Thursday night.

As for Pittman, we here at TrojanSports.com are among the biggest believers and stockholders in Pittman's NFL prospects. That said, I expect him to end up undervalued and as a bargain pick somewhere in the mid to late second round. It's just hard to envision any scenario where that guy isn't productive at the next level, though.

-USC and Ohio State are tied for the most all-time first round draft picks with 81.

-USC's last first-round pick was QB Sam Darnold in 2018

-If Austin Jackson goes in the first round, he'd be the first USC offensive lineman taking in the opening round since Matt Kalil went No. 4 overall in 2012.

-Michael Pittman could become USC's fifth WR selected in the top two rounds in the last eight drafts, following Robert Woods (second round, 2013), Marqise Lee (second round, 2014), Nelson Agholor (first round, 2015) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (second round, 2017).

-The Trojans could be in for their smallest overall draft class since 2002 -- the last time they had only two players selected (DBs Kris Richard and Chris Cash) -- unless LB John Houston, DE Christian Rector or OT Drew Richmond are taken as a late-round selection.