University Southern California Trojans
2018 #USCtotheNFL Season Preview
September 06, 2018 | Football, USC Ripsit Blog, Features
The 2018 NFL season kicks off tonight, giving USC the chance to add to its unmatched NFL legacy.Thirty-two Trojans made their way onto opening day rosters, with seven more on reserve/injured and four more on practice squads for a total of 43 players in the NFL.
There's a Trojan on 23 out of 32 NFL teams, and four each on both the Carolina Panthers and the New York Jets.
The 43 players are comprised of eight offensive linemen, seven defensive linemen, seven defensive backs, six wide receivers, five linebackers, four quarterbacks, four running backs and two tight ends.
Heading into his 14th season, Matt Cassel is USC's most experienced NFL player. Frostee Rucker, Ryan Kalil and Clay Matthews also boast double-digit NFL careers. Meanwhile, seven rookies are looking to make names for themselves in the league: Sam Darnold, Uchenna Nwosu, Rasheem Green, Steven Mitchell Jr., Deontay Burnett and Nico Falah.
Darnold (pictured, right) will make NFL history this weekend when he becomes the youngest QB (21 years old) to start a season opener for the New York Jets since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
USC has produced 505 NFL Draft picks and 81 first round picks — both more than any other school can claim. USC also boasts five No. 1 overall picks, which is tied for the most of any school.
Below is a full list of Trojans in the NFL this season:
Baltimore Ravens RB Javorius Allen
Carolina Panthers C Ryan Kalil**
Carolina Panthers T Matt Kalil (Reserve/Injured)**
Carolina Panthers DE Wes Horton
Carolina Panthers CB Kevon Seymour (Reserve/Injured)
Cincinnati Bengals QB Matt Barkley (Reserve/Injured)
Dallas Cowboys T Tyron Smith**
Dallas Cowboys G Marcus Martin (Reserve/Injured)
Dallas Cowboys DT Antwaun Woods
Denver Broncos S Su'a Cravens (Reserve/Injured)
Detroit Lions QB Matt Cassel
Detroit Lions LB Devon Kennard
Green Bay Packers LB Clay Matthews**^
Green Bay Packers LB Nick Perry
Jacksonville Jaguars WR Marqise Lee (Reserve/Injured)
Jacksonville Jaguars QB Cody Kessler
Kansas City Chiefs DB Leon McQuay III (Practice Squad)
Los Angeles Chargers LB Uchenna Nwosu*
Los Angeles Rams CB Nickell Robey
Los Angeles Rams WR Robert Woods
Los Angeles Rams RB Justin Davis
Los Angeles Rams WR Steven Mitchell Jr. (Practice Squad)*
Miami Dolphins S TJ McDonald
Minnesota Vikings DE Everson Griffen**
New York Giants TE Rhett Ellison
New York Giants T Chad Wheeler
New York Jets QB Sam Darnold*
New York Jets DE Leonard Williams**
New York Jets WR Deontay Burnett (Practice Squad)*
New York Jets C Nico Falah (Practice Squad)*
Oakland Raiders DT Frostese Rucker
Philadephia Eagles WR Nelson Agholor^
Pittsburgh Steelers TE Xavier Grimble
Pittsburgh Steelers T Zach Banner
Pittsburgh Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
Seattle Seahawks FB Tre Madden
Seattle Seahawks G Jordan Simmons
Seattle Seahawks DE Rasheem Green*
San Francisco 49ers LB Malcolm Smith^
Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Ronald Jones II*
Tennessee Titans DT Jurrell Casey**
Tennessee Titans CB Adoree' Jackson (pictured below)
Tennessee Titans DT Stevie Tu'ikolovatu (Reserve/Injured)
* Rookie
** Pro Bowler
^ Super Bowl Champion
Players Mentioned
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