Tajwar's Takeaways from USC Pro Day

USC held its annual Pro Day for NFL scouts Wednesday, with 15 players participating in drills and tests.

The biggest star among the Trojans’ potential draftees did not participate, but wide receiver Drake London was present all the same, with his personal pro day scheduled for April 5. Though he’s the only USC player who seems like a surefire first-round pick, a number of other Trojans will have a shot to be selected in April's NFL draft, most of whom did well for themselves during the day.

Edge rusher Drake Jackson is likely the only USC player besides London with a shot to go in the early rounds, and having recently bulked up to 273 pounds, teams were certainly curious to view his movement skills and explosiveness.

Like Jackson, cornerbacks Chris Steele and Isaac Taylor-Stuart and running back Keaontay Ingram took part in the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Ind., earlier this month, while for fringe prospects like offensive lineman Jalen McKenzie and linebacker Kana'i Mauga, Pro Day was an especially important showcase in front of the scouts.

The format of the Pro Day made it difficult for the media to get a read on the bench press, jumps, and 3-cone drills, but the 40-yard dashes and short-shuttle drills were available for clear viewing. USC has not released any times or measurements, so all 40 and shuttle times referenced are my hand-times -- take with grain of salt.

The headliner of the day, Jackson cut a striking figure with his newly-bulked-up frame. He’s visibly stockier than he was at the close of the 2021 season, up over 20 pounds from then. Jackson looked fluid as ever in position drills and seems to have some more power in his upper body based upon some of the field work he did. I hand-timed his short shuttle time at 4.11 seconds -- an impressive mark for someone his size. Though Jackson didn’t run a 40 here or at the combine, he stated his plans to run one in the coming weeks -- possibly the same day as London.

Jackson currently profiles as a mid second to third round pick, but an eye-popping 40 number next week (he predicted a 4.5) might push him up higher on boards.

Ingram also opted to not run a 40, choosing instead to stand on his very-solid combine time of 4.53. He looked natural as a pass-catcher during his field work, running smooth routes and doing a nice job to create separation at the break point. His physical traits and versatility make him an intriguing prospect, and I’m inclined to believe he gets picked up somewhere in the middle rounds of the draft.

Steele posted great numbers at the NFL combine, with explosive jumps and a respectable 40 time of 4.48 seconds. He chose not to re-run today, but he showed well during field work. He seemed to have improved his breaks on the football, with a cleaner burst out of his backpedal. I clocked him with a solid 4.12-second shuttle drill, which lines up nicely with the remainder of his testing. Steele provides an interesting profile, having played his best ball for the Trojans down the stretch last season and putting up good physical measurements. He possesses the necessary traits for the position, and he still has room to get better as a player. I think he’ll have a good shot of getting taken somewhere in the middle rounds.