#USCtotheNFL Profile: Brian Kelly

By Aubrey Kragen on April 26, 2017 5:40 PM | No Comments

In its storied history, USC Football has had more players selected in the NFL Draft (496) than any other school can claim. As the 2017 NFL Draft approaches, we took a look back at some of our draft stories.

At 5 p.m. PT tomorrow, the 82nd annual NFL Draft begins. The Draft has taken place every year since the very first one was held on Feb. 8, 1936, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia, the city to which the Draft returns this year.

Across the past 81 Drafts, USC has had 496 players selected, including 79 first rounders (the most of any school in the nation) and five No. 1 overall picks (tied for the most of any school in the nation). The Trojans have built up this impressive history by having a player selected in all but two of the previous 81 Drafts: the inaugural Draft in 1936, and that of 1938.

At least one Trojan has been selected in every single NFL Draft since 1939, an accomplishment only one other school (Michigan) can claim.

But in 1998, USC nearly snapped its streak. Thankfully, DB Brian Kelly got the call from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round, but he was the only Trojan drafted that year. Every year since, USC has had multiple players drafted.

Michigan, which has also had a player drafted every year since 1939, has endured seven Drafts with only a single Wolverine selected.

Kelly captained the 1997 USC Football squad, which went 6-5 and remarkably scored the exact same number of points as its opponents. It was a young team that would see 13 other players eventually drafted, but Kelly was the lone Trojan to get the call that year.

During his collegiate career, the DB led USC in pass deflections twice and earned the Davis-Teschke Award for the most inspirational player on the team. His performance in 1997 earned him an invite to the Senior Bowl, where he impressed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers enough to earn one of their second round picks in 1998.

Kelly, who wore No. 25 during his 11-year NFL career, played a key role in bringing the first ever championship to Tampa Bay.

Kelly led the 2002 Bucs -- widely considered one of the best defenses of all time -- with eight interceptions, which was also tied for the NFL lead that year. Tampa Bay's defense carried the team through throughout the playoffs to a matchup with the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. On the world's biggest stage, the defense stepped up again, collecting five interceptions to seal a 48-21 victory. Coincidentally, current USC Athletic Director Lynn Swann was on the call for ABC that night.

Kelly spent 10 years in Tampa Bay before signing with the Lions in 2008, retiring after one season in Detroit. He finished with 413 tackles, 22 interceptions and one Super Bowl ring in his career.

After retiring, Kelly entered the world of television production, founding his own production company with his college teammate, Keyshawn Johnson. The Trojan twosome named their company 1925 Productions, a combination of their NFL jersey numbers. Johnson and Kelly pitched and helped produce ESPN's "Trojan War" 30 for 30 program, which came out in 2015.

While Trojan fans can thank Kelly for creating a documentary highlighting the unparalleled success of USC head coach Pete Carroll, they can also thank the now-41-year-old for keeping USC's 78-year NFL Draft streak alive.

#USCtotheNFL Profile: Brian Kelly

#USCtotheNFL Profile: Brian Kelly

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