JuJu Smith-Schuster has finally decided whether he will go pro or stay for his senior season at USC.
USC wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster kept Trojans fans wondering whether he would enter the NFL Draft for a few days after the Rose Bowl. Smith-Schuster played a vital role in the Trojans’ exciting comeback win over Penn State. However, USC fans knew that there was a chance that was his last game since he is a junior. After promising to announce his decision in a couple of hours, Smith-Schuster officially announced he will enter the draft. The USC star broke the news through his Twitter account and released a statement.
Smith-Schuster’s departure will mark a key loss for a USC offense that will enter next season with legitimate national championship dreams. Although the junior receiver regressed a bit from his sophomore season, he still finished with 914 receiving yards and 10 touchdown catches. He exploded with 1,454 yards and 10 touchdowns in his previous season.
USC has churned out many talented wide receivers who have been drafted early. However, many of them have gone on to have underwhelming careers. These players include Nelson Agholor, Robert Woods, Marqise Lee, Mike Williams, Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett. It remains to be seen whether Smith-Schuster can break the trend of USC receivers turning into draft busts. He is currently expected to be drafted in the second round. His Rose Bowl performance and a strong Combine may convince a team to draft him in the first round, though.
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Fortunately for the Trojans, quarterback Sam Darnold will be a redshirt sophomore and return after a historic Rose Bowl performance. USC will also return other key playmakers like running back Ronald Jones and wide receivers Deontay Burnett and Darreus Rogers. Darnold has shown the ability to spread the ball around, so USC will still enter 2017 as a Pac-12 and national championship favorite.