LOS ANGELES — Over the weekend, four USC Trojans heard their names called in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The first Trojan came off the board on Thursday night, when the Minnesota Vikings selected wide receiver Jordan Addison 23rd overall. A transfer from Pitt, Addison caught caught 59 passes for 875 yards and eight touchdowns in his lone season at USC.
Two more USC players heard their names called on Day 2. First, it was the Los Angeles Chargers taking defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu in the second round at No. 54 overall. Then, the Vikings took cornerback Mekhi Blackmon with the final pick of the third round at No. 102 overall. Blackmon will reunite with Addison, his USC teammate, in Minnesota.
“I think it’s going to give both of us comfortability, just having somebody else that we know,” Blackmon said to Vikings reporters on reuniting with Addison. “We’re familiar, we’re going against each other at practice. But like I said, I fell in love with the coaching staff – they were down-to-earth guys and stuff like that – so I was going to be comfortable regardless of if he came or not. Just thankful he’s with me, as well.”
Yesterday, offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees became the final Trojan to come off the board, going in the seventh round at No. 229 overall to the Baltimore Ravens. Vorhees likely would have been selected higher in the draft had he not suffered an ACL injury at the NFL Combine.
Several other USC players have already signed with NFL teams as undrafted free agents. Perhaps the most notable of these players was running back Travis Dye, who inked a deal with the New York Jets. The transfer from Oregon was having a standout season at USC and was on his way to being drafted before suffering a season-ending ankle injury during the Trojans’ matchup with Colorado.
In addition, defensive lineman Brandon Pili signed with the Miami Dolphins, wide receiver Terrell Bynum signed with the Chargers, and offensive lineman Bobby Haskins signed with the Chicago Bears. Notably though, center Brett Neilon has yet to sign with an NFL team. Much like Vorhees and Dye, Neilon was on his way to potentially being drafted before suffering a leg injury late in the Pac-12 Championship Game vs. Utah.
Way-too-early look at 2024
With the 2023 NFL Draft now in the books, DraftKings released its way-too-early odds to go number one overall in 2024. USC quarterback Caleb Williams is the overwhelming favorite to be the top pick should he enter the draft, with staggering -550 odds.
After transferring to USC from Oklahoma, Williams won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore in 2022, while leading the Trojans to an 11-3 record and a Cotton Bowl berth.
