3 Trojans Should Go High

Even with quarterback Matt Leinart sticking around USC for another season, the Trojans figure to be well represented in the NFL draft.

There’s a good chance three former USC players will be selected in the first round -- receiver Mike Williams and defensive linemen Shaun Cody and Mike Patterson -- and several more could be chosen before the seventh round ends Sunday afternoon.

“I wouldn’t call it a bumper crop, but the engine is picking up steam there with Pete Carroll,” said scouting guru Gil Brandt, referring to the coach who has led the Trojans to two consecutive national championships. “From now on, you’ll start seeing more and more pros coming out of there.”

Linebacker Lofa Tatupu is banking on being one of those. He chose to leave USC a year early, even though he’s unlikely to be selected in the first round. He is projected to go in the second or third round.

“We’d love to get him in the third if he’s still around,” said a personnel executive for an NFC team.

Tatupu is accustomed to the underdog role, having started his college career at Maine before transferring to USC after his freshman season. He was a two-year starter at USC and led the team in tackles last season. He decided to turn pro early against Carroll’s advice.

“I would like to help my family financially any way I can,” said Tatupu, whose father, Mosi, is a former USC fullback and NFL special-teams standout. “I felt this was the best time to do it for myself as well as my family.”

Just as they played in front of him in college, Cody and Patterson are expected to go before Tatupu in the draft.

Patterson, who at 6 feet, 290 pounds is four inches shorter and five pounds lighter than Cody, has quickness that NFL scouts love and has drawn some comparisons to Pro Bowl defensive tackle Warren Sapp.

Cody was an All-American and a finalist for the Lombardi Award, presented to the nation’s best college lineman. The way he sees it, he already has the essential confidence of a pro trench warrior.

“You have to have that, going against those big boys,” Cody said. “You have to have that swagger to you. You have to have that spark and that willingness to run around and get after it.”

Whereas Cody sees himself as a defensive tackle or end, Trojan linebacker Matt Grootegoed is bracing for a more dramatic position change. Pro scouts see him as a safety, a logical spot for a player who is 5-11, 215 pounds. He figures to be selected in the middle to late rounds, or possibly signed in the post-draft scramble for free agents.

Other USC players who could hook on with NFL teams -- either as late-round picks or free-agent signees -- are tight ends Alex Holmes and Gregg Guenther, tackle John Drake, safety Jason Leach and 6-5 quarterback Matt Cassel, who played behind Carson Palmer and Leinart.

UCLA’s top three draft prospects are fullback Manuel White and receivers Tab Perry and Craig Bragg. It would be somewhat surprising if any of those players were selected Saturday, in the first three rounds.

Besides splitting time with halfback Maurice Drew, White played some fullback last season. He’s more solid than spectacular as a runner and blocker, but he catches the ball well.

Bragg is UCLA’s all-time leader in receiving yardage and has big-play potential, but some scouts have questioned whether he’s fast enough.

At 6-3, 220 pounds, Perry is big and deceptively fast, although he didn’t log as much playing time as Bragg last season. Brandt, former personnel director for the Dallas Cowboys, said he preferred Bragg as a pro prospect.

Other Bruins who could make NFL rosters as rookies are safety Ben Emanuel, who has good size and runs well but had an unspectacular senior season; and offensive tackle Steven Viera.