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College Football Week 3: NFL Draft big board rankings

By Nathaniel Reeves

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: Sam Darnold #14 of the USC Trojans scrambles with the football during the first half against the Stanford Cardinal at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 9, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: Sam Darnold #14 of the USC Trojans scrambles with the football during the first half against the Stanford Cardinal at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 9, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 09: Harrison Phillips #66 of the Stanford Cardinal attempts to tackle Sam Darnold #14 of the USC Trojans during the fourth quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 9, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 09: Harrison Phillips #66 of the Stanford Cardinal attempts to tackle Sam Darnold #14 of the USC Trojans during the fourth quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 9, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Sam Darnold

QB, USC

With a dominant performance against one of the best defenses he will face all year, Darnold is back atop the NFL big board in Week 3.

Darnold completed 20-of-26 passes for 316 yards and four touchdowns to key USC’s 42-24 win over No. 14 Stanford on Saturday night. While the redshirt sophomore has already thrown four interceptions this season, his accuracy and touch on deep passes was on full display against the Cardinal.

The redshirt sophomore burst onto the scene in 2016 by throwing for 3,086 yards and 31 touchdowns to nine interceptions while leading USC on a nine-game winning streak that culminated in a Rose Bowl victory over Penn State. Darnold’s somewhat shaky performance in USC’s season opener against Western Michigan raised a few concerns, but he didn’t get a lot of help from his wide receivers and his two interceptions came off deflections.

NFL scouts honed in on Darnold’s combination of size and arm strength at 6-4, 225 pounds quickly after he took over the starting job in late September. Darnold also showed advanced decision making for a freshman, and has the ability to make plays with his legs.

Next: 50 greatest college football teams of all time

While next week’s matchup against Texas has lost some of its luster, Darnold will get yet another chance to put up big numbers against a team with a lot of talent.

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