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**This is a new daily morning segment at TrojanSports.com, as a way to recap the previous day, set the stage for the day ahead, highlight the best of social media and the best of this board.**
Question of the Day
The obvious reason to be excited about USC's offensive potential in 2020 is all the returning talent and known commodities. Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell is back and the players have a full year in his system now. Star quarterback Kedon Slovis is back, along with proven playmakers Amon-Ra St. Brown, Tyler Vaughns and Drake London at receiver, and a bevy of talented running back options with Markese Stepp, Vavae Malepeai, Stephen Carr and Kenan Christon.
But what makes the Trojans especially intriguing offensively are the unknown variables. Wide receivers Bru McCoy and Kyle Ford were two of the highest-ranked prospects in the 2019 recruiting class and neither got to showcase themselves last season. Gary Bryant Jr. is one of the most electric receivers in the incoming 2020 class and the Trojans don't have another player like him -- game-changing speed out of the slot with smooth hands and a knack for getting open. And while Joshua Jackson finished as a 3-star prospect, he's plenty impressive in his own right and a guy the Trojans prioritized early in the last recruiting cycle.
(We're not forgetting Munir McClain here -- he showed potential beyond his own 3-star ranking last preseason -- but in working his way back from ACL surgery, it's simply hard to project how much he'll be able to contribute in the fall.)
With all that said, today's poll question is which of the freshmen/redshirt freshmen receivers do you think will finish with the most catches in 2020?
**Go to the Trojan Talk board to vote and track the live results**
The polls are in ...
On Monday we asked, which USC player will be the highest selection in the 2021 NFL Draft?
While the Trojans only had two draftees in the recently-completed 2020 draft, that should change next year as a bevy of USC players with major pro potential will be looking to move on to the next level.
As for the poll results, as of Tuesday at 2 p.m., we had 29 votes. Receiving the most was defensive lineman Jay Tufele with 12 votes, followed by offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker with 6, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown with 5, safety Talanoa Hufanga with 4 and wide receiver Tyler Vaughns and defensive lineman Marlon Tuipulotu with 1 vote each.
Tufele is getting the most early draft buzz, with a couple of the always-fun-but-foolish early mock drafts projecting him as a late first-rounder. I voted for Tufele, but I could see a variety of scenarios. Let's go over the cases for some of those prospects ...
With Tufele, it will be interesting to see how he's used this year. He did not participate in USC's lone spring practice due to an academic conflict, so we didn't even get a peek at how he might fit into Todd Orlando's defense.The Trojans relied on a three-down front in that one practice with a split-off stand-up "B-backer" -- a pass-rushing outside linebacker -- that will be manned mostly by Drake Jackson.
While Tufele has been a standout defensive tackle for the Trojans, operating mostly in four-man fronts, the defensive line did rotate a lot last season with a pass-rushing OLB replacing a more traditional DE at times, and guys like Tufele and Tuipulotu moving around on the interior. It's possible Tufele plays more of a 3-4 DE role in this new scheme, but again, those are questions that will have more answers once the team is back on the field again (whenever that might be).
For perspective, looking at Orlando's Texas defense last year, his three-down defensive ends put up strong tackle-for-loss numbers but low sack totals, as would be expected from that scheme. Ta'quon Graham (6-foot-3, 300 pounds) had 10.5 TFL and 2.5 sacks while Malcolm Roach (6-3, 290) had 9 TFL and 3 sacks. The Longhorns' primary nose tackle Keondre Coburn (6-2, 340) had 4.5 TFL and 2 sacks. Tufele (6-3, 315), meanwhile, set a career-high with 6.5 TFL and 4.5 sacks last season.
So with his combination of size and athleticism, it's possible he is actually put in a more conducive position to create havoc in the backfield in this defense if he is used as one of the ends. Either way, I'd expect his draft stock to be in a good position -- either because he simply continued the progression he's shown the last two years or because playing a new position this year showcases desirable versatility.
The same goes for Tuipulotu, who the coaching staff felt was the steadiest defensive lineman on the team last year. Listed at 6-3, 305, he too might be in line for a 3-down DE role. (Brandon Pili -- 6-4, 325 -- is an interesting candidate for that nose tackle spot). But Tuipulotu plays with great strength and physicality, so he may be a versatile piece up front.
Vera-Tucker is another really intriguing prospect. In many regards, he was USC's most consistent offensive lineman last year while having a breakout season at left guard. According to PFF's data, he allowed just 1 sack, 6 QB hurries and drew only 2 penalties. That is the position he projects best at in the NFL, but it's very likely he plays left tackle for the Trojans this fall.
That's where he was lined up during the lone spring practice and he talked afterward about having conversations with the coaches that he might be needed there. Head coach Clay Helton said no final decision had been made on that matter, but it seems very likely Vera-Tucker is the answer at left tackle.
If he performs well in that role -- and I'd expect he would -- that would only boost his draft stock further. NFL talent evaluators love versatility at the offensive line spots, especially in the case of a talented OG prospect who has proven he can slide over to OT in a pinch.
That said, there wasn't an offensive guard drafted until the seventh pick of the second round this year (Louisiana's Robert Hunt) and there were only three selected in the top three rounds, though center prospect Cesar Ruiz out of Michigan went 24th overall and could end up playing guard for the New Orleans Saints.
For what it's worth, Vera-Tucker said he received a draft grade of 2nd/3rd or 3rd/4th round from the NFL this offseason before choosing to return to USC as a redshirt junior.
St. Brown, meanwhile, should be in for his best season yet. With Michael Pittman gone, expect to see St. Brown get more opportunities on the outside while showing NFL scouts that he is as versatile a WR as there will be in the 2021 draft class (if he decided to leave after his junior year, that is). St. Brown caught 77 passes for 1,042 yards and 6 TDs as a sophomore despite playing through a sports hernia for most of the season before getting it operated on this offseason. If St. Brown stays healthy, those numbers will increase, and his tireless work ethic and general makeup will only help him in pre-draft workouts and meetings.
There will be faster wide receivers in the draft and taller wide receivers, and for some organizations the measurables count for a lot. (See: the Las Vegas Raiders taking Alabama speedster Henry Ruggs 12th overall ahead of teammate and fellow first-round pick Jerry Jeudy, who had 37 more catches, 417 more receiving yards and 3 more touchdowns last fall. But St. Brown will have a lot to sell to scouts and GMs whenever he decides to throw his name into the draft.
And while this was viewed as a particularly strong WR draft class in 2020, it's at least notable to mention that 17 wide receivers went in the top three rounds.
As for USC's other draft-eligible WR, Vaughns enters his redshirt senior season with 189 career catches for 2,395 yards and 17 touchdowns. He hasn't discussed his draft grade publicly yet, but whatever it was he decided to hold off for another year and return for one more season. Vaughns is a great asset for the Trojans and having him back is a bonus for this offense, but it's unlikely his role or stats change in the way that Pittman's did from his junior to senior season. I could be wrong, but if anybody is going to see a jump in usage St. Brown would seem the prime candidate and the additional WR depth USC will have in 2020 should play a factor as well.
Thus, it's unlikely Vaughns' draft stock changes all that much in 2020, but that's not at all a commentary on his decision to return. Maximizing the college experience -- both academically and athletically -- adding to his Trojans accomplishments and trying to be part of a rejuvenation for the program are all worthy reasons in their own right to return for one more season.
And then there's Hufanga -- the immensely talented safety who just needs to be able to put his injury woes behind him and quell some of the durability concerns that will no doubt be factors in the way NFL teams evaluate him.
There is no doubting his ability and that he's a next-level player. He finished with 90 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles despite missing three games last season. There's no need to belabor the injury history. If Hufanga can demonstrate that his shoulder/collarbone issues are in the past, then a huge season could be ahead.
There were no safeties drafted in the first round this year, but 10 went in the top three rounds -- and it's unlikely there are 10 better safeties in college football than Hufanga if he puts it all together, stays on the field and performs like he did down the stretch of 2019 (18 tackles, 2 TFL and a sack vs. UCLA, and 14 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack and 1 forced fumble vs. Iowa).
Of course, there will be other names on the draft radar for USC. Running back Markese Stepp will be draft eligible next year along with Vavae Malepeai and Stephen Carr. Stepp has the best NFL upside of the bunch, but he still needs the opportunity to showcase that and it remains unclear if the Trojans' depth at the position will allow that to happen in 2020.
Cornerback Olaijah Griffin will be draft-eligible as well (along with fellow corner Isaac Taylor-Stuart). Griffin has already put together some great film (the Stanford game last year especially), and if he takes the next step in his development he could have a decision to make for the next draft.
Linebacker Palaie Gaoteote faces a pivotal third year in the program, but his upside remains highly intriguing and there's reason to think Orlando could help him unlock it.
And safety Isaiah Pola-Mao showed considerable improvement over the second half of last season and will be another potential draft prospect to track this fall. The bottom-line is that USC should expect to have a larger draft class this time next year.
Monday's story links
-Ranking the Contenders: 4-star OT Bram Walden
-Grad transfer OL Keldrick Wilson put USC on his final 4 list
Top tweets
The shirt donations raised through sales of the "We FIGHT as ONe" apparel are on their way ...
Many were quick to spotlight USC's unusually small draft class this year. The Trojans tried to counter that on social media ...
The Colts revealed Michael Pittman's new jersey number ...
A cool look at Pittman's draft selection behind the scenes ...
California Gov. Gavin Newsom with some comments that could factor into hopes for a football season ...
Let the rivalry continue ...
