2020 #USCtotheNFL Season Preview

9/10/2020

Another NFL season kicks off tonight, and 31 USC alums are on the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy.

That includes 24 players on active rosters, two on practice squads, three on reserve and two who have opted out of the season due to coronavirus concerns.

The most seasoned Trojan in the NFL is Everson Griffen, who was drafted in 2010. In his decade in the league thus far, he has made the Pro Bowl four times. This year, he'll be suiting up for a new team: the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys feature three Trojans on the active roster, the most of any NFL team. Griffen will play alongside up-and-coming DL Antwaun Woods and seven-time Pro Bowl OL Tyron Smith.

Two Trojans will kick off their NFL careers this year: Dolphins first-round OL Austin Jackson and Colts second-round WR Michael Pittman Jr. They were USC's 510th and 511th NFL Draft picks in history — more than any other school in the nation has produced. Jackson was named the Dolphins' starting left tackle heading into Week 1.

Several other Trojans will make their first plays for a new team this year. LB Devon Kennard has returned to his home state to play for the Arizona Cardinals. Super Bowl XLVIII MVP Malcolm Smith is now on the Browns, alongside Porter Gustin, who went undrafted in in 2019 but proved himself enough to make the 53-man roster. DB Nickell Robey-Coleman is now on the Eagles, while WR Nelson Agholor is now on the Las Vegas Raiders.

A few young Trojans are looking to make a mark on the league this year.

Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster has already done that, but is looking for another 1,000-yard season after taking a dip in 2019 due to instability at quarterback. Smith-Schuster made the All-Rookie Team in 2017, the Pro Bowl in 2018, and holds several NFL records, like becoming the youngest player to ever reach 2,500 career receiving yards.

Zach Banner, who's entering his fourth season in the league, recently earned the starting RT role for the Steelers.

Buccaneers RB Ronald Jones II made a huge jump from Year 1 to Year 2 (in which he posted over 1,000 yards from scrimmage), and is hoping to make another jump in Year 3. He's surrounded by some new offensive weapons, like QB Tom Brady and TE Rob Gronkowski.

Sam Darnold is the latest in a long line of Trojan quarterbacks to make it to the NFL. The Jets gunslinger is heading into his third season, and is hoping to turn things around for a franchise that hasn't won its division since 2002.

“Sam looks amazing this year,” said his teammate Le'Veon Bell. “It's going to be fun."

Here is a full list of all the Trojans in the NFL

NAME	TEAM	POSITION	YEARS AT USC
Devon Kennard	Arizona Cardinals	LB	2009-13
Iman Marshall (+)	Baltimore Ravens	CB	2015-18
Matt Barkley	Buffalo Bills	QB	2009-12
Darion Clark (+)	Chicago Bears	TE	2012-16
Porter Gustin	Cleveland Browns	DL	2015-18
Malcolm Smith ^	Cleveland Browns	LB	2007-10
Everson Griffen *	Dallas Cowboys	DL	2007-09
Tyron Smith *	Dallas Cowboys	OL	2008-10
Antwaun Woods	Dallas Cowboys	DL	2011-15
Jurrell Casey *	Denver Broncos	DL	2008-10
Steven Mitchell Jr. (P)	Houston Texans	WR	2013-17
Michael Pittman Jr.	Indianapolis Colts	WR	2016-19
Marvell Tell III (O)	Indianapolis Colts	CB	2015-18
Nelson Agholor	Las Vegas Raiders	WR	2012-14
Uchenna Nwosu	Los Angeles Chargers	LB	2014-17
Robert Woods	Los Angeles Rams	WR	2010-12
Austin Jackson	Miami Dolphins	OL	2017-19
Cameron Smith (+)	Minnesota Vikings	LB	2015-18
Marqise Lee (O)	New England Patriots	WR	2011-13
Leonard Williams *	New York Giants	DL	2012-14
Sam Darnold	New York Jets	QB	2015-17
Chuma Edoga	New York Jets	OL	2015-18
Deontay Burnett (P)	Philadelphia Eagles	WR	2015-17
Nickell Robey-Coleman	Philadelphia Eagles	CB	2010-12
Zach Banner	Pittsburgh Steelers	OL	2013-16
JuJu Smith-Schuster*	Pittsburgh Steelers	WR	2014-16
Rasheem Green	Seattle Seahawks	DL	2015-17
Jordan Simmons	Seattle Seahawks	OL	2012-16
Chad Wheeler	Seattle Seahawks	OL	2012-16
Ronald Jones II	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	RB	2015-17
Adoree' Jackson	Tennessee Titans	CB	2014-16