The 2026 NFL Draft came and went last week.
USC watched three players get selected. USC and Notre Dame continued their toggle as the teams with the most players drafted by the Shield. After Kamari Ramsey went in the fifth round with the 141st pick, the Trojans sat at 541 players drafted while the Fighting Irish finished the weekend with 545 players selected. USC watched Makai Lemon go in the first round to the Philadelphia Eagles. Most felt Lemons’ No. 20 selection was a touch lower than expected as many slotted him at No. 13 to the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams and general manager Les Snead shocked everyone by rolling with Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the No. 13 pick.
The Baltimore Ravens circled back to the USC receiving room and plucked Ja’Kobi Lane in the third round with the No. 80 pick. Ramsey went to the Texans on Day 3 Saturday, and USC’s draft output was finished. The Trojans tied Duke, South Carolina, TCU, Illinois and Utah as schools with three players drafted. These are not schools with whom USC is accustomed to sharing a draft tier.
Ohio State had a whopping 11 players drafted this year. When was the last time a USC draft class had 11? That would be 2009, when first-rounders Mark Sanchez, Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews headlined an 11-man Trojan march to the NFL. Let’s pause and reflect on the fact USC sent not one, but two linebackers to the NFL in the first round 17 years ago. It somehow seems longer but Cushing and Matthews were the last first-round linebackers USC sent to the NFL.
The 2008 draft saw USC send 10 players including first-rounders Sedrick Ellis, Keith Rivers (another first-round linebacker!), Sam Baker and Lawrence Jackson to the big leagues. In 2006, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush headlined another 11-man draft class for the Trojans.
It’s not hard to draw the line from high draft counts and program success. Besides Ohio State, 2025 playoff team Alabama and Texas A&M watched the NFL draft 10 of their players. Miami had nine players drafted. Georgia and national champion Indiana had eight.
This was Lincoln Riley‘s fourth USC draft class and the second consecutive with just three players drafted. Last year nobody drafted a Trojan until the Houston Texans indulged their affinity for USC defensive backs and grabbed Jaylin Smith, keeping alive USC’s now 25-year streak of having a top three round draft pick. The 2024 class had headliner and No. 1 overall selection Caleb Williams go to the Chicago Bears. USC watched seven players drafted as the high-water mark of Riley’s tenure at USC.
There’s more to the tale, of course. Williams’ draft cohort included five players who transferred in under Riley and another (Tahj Washington) who transferred ahead of Riley’s arrival. Calen Bullock was the only homegrown player drafted in 2024. All told, eight of 17 USC guys drafted under Riley have been transfers.
General manager Chad Bowden and Riley clearly expect the ratio to tilt towards the homegrowns in drafts to come. USC’s 34-man 2026 high school recruiting class was the nation’s best and includes multiple players with the talent to play at the next level. Cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed is already framing conversations with Elbert Hill IV around the goal of being a first-round draft pick.
It’s a good measuring stick for where USC’s roster stands headed into 2026. The Buckeyes’ roster is comprised of five (including redshirt guys) classes similar to the one USC just signed. Consequently, it’s not a surprise to see the NFL shop in heavy volume in their aisle of the store. This is where USC is trying to return. The Trojans at the moment have the No. 3 2027 class based on 11 commits. The message has been consistent the 2027 group will be smaller in number than the 2026, but the expectation is the quality will match the standard set by this year’s freshmen.
Wins and championships are the easiest and most preferred markers as we track USC’s performance over the next few seasons starting with this one. However, the Trojans’ draft contributions should also rise up if the program’s championship window is open as Riley has said on multiple occasions this offseason. It’s a strong sign of both recruiting and development when the NFL raids the roster. It’s the status befitting the school that produced the second-most players drafted ever, and it’s part of the overall profile USC is trying to rebuild.
