Sunday schooling

USC’s recruiting classes -- the players coming in from high school and junior college -- have been rated best in the country three times since 2003. But the professional football prospects on this season’s Trojans team are no more numerous than those on Michigan’s roster, according to four men who are paid to be experts on the topic. The Times’ Sam Farmer recently interviewed four NFL team scouts -- two from each conference -- who opened their notebooks and rated the players from the Rose Bowl teams on the condition of anonymity. Here’s what they had to say in a position-by-position breakdown:

Offensive linemen

Most intriguing to scouts are left tackle Sam Baker and center Ryan Kalil of USC, and Michigan left tackle Jake Long. Kalil is the only senior among the three, and juniors Baker and Long -- both projected to be first-round picks if they were to come out this year -- have indicated they plan to stay in school. The scouts agree Kalil, who isn’t huge at 6 feet 3, 285 pounds, should go somewhere from the third to fifth round. USC right tackle Kyle Williams is seen as a late-round pick or a free agent.

Scout 1: “Baker’s probably the fourth-best tackle in the draft behind [Wisconsin’s] Joe Thomas, [Penn State’s] Levi Brown and Jake Long. Baker would go in the mid- to late first, but he’d benefit from coming back to school. ... I like his toughness. He’s not as athletic as you’d want to see in an NFL left tackle. I see him as a right tackle or guard. But he has size and he’s smart.”

Scout 2: “My philosophy would be, let [Baker] play left tackle first before you start moving him. When you’re taking him that high, let him do what he does. If he’s good enough to stay there, he’ll stay there.”

Scout 3: “Frankly, I was a little disappointed with Baker. ... I guess I was expecting a guy that was a dancing bear in terms of footwork. I still think he’d go in the late first.

Scout 3: “Long’s a big latch-on guy who’s going to lock you up and you won’t go anywhere. He’s not a cat in terms of quickness.”

Scout 4: “Kalil is an excellent player. The only negative is his size. But for a center, he has everything else you want. He’s a leader. The Denver Broncos-type teams, zone-blocking teams like Atlanta, are really going to like him. He plays with leverage and bends his knees. That gives him what he needs to handle bigger guys.”

Receivers

There’s some flash and dazzle in this group, particularly with USC’s Dwayne Jarrett, a junior who has yet to announce his plans, and Michigan’s Mario Manningham, a sophomore who’s not eligible for the draft. The scouts agree Jarrett would be a first-round pick, possibly in the top 15, if he were to come out.

Also interesting are USC’s Steve Smith and Michigan’s Steve Breaston, both seniors. Three of the scouts said Smith should go in the late-second, early-third range and the fourth said he might even go earlier. One scout mentioned senior Chris McFoy, the Trojans’ third receiver, and said he has worked his way from a prospective free agent to a possible late-round pick.

Scout 1: “Jarrett’s one of the better receivers out there. He’s got size (6-5, 215), and has better quickness and athleticism than Mike Williams,” who was selected 10th by Detroit in 2005 yet has been a disappointment.

Scout 2: “Manningham’s been the difference-maker when he’s healthy. He’s going to be a good player.”

Scout 3: “[Jarrett] is probably a little better than Mike Williams, but there’s a question about how competitive he is. He gets up for Notre Dame, but then the next week he’ll have one catch for 10 yards. He’s a first-round talent, but it’s a matter of the light coming on every day.” (Jarrett was limited to one catch once this season, against Washington.)

Scout 4: “I love Steve Smith. I don’t think he’s going to be a numbers guy as far as testing, but when it’s third and seven and you need a clutch catch, you’re going to that guy. He’s maybe the best route runner I’ve seen this season.”

Running backs

Michigan is the team to watch in this department -- specifically 5-9 tailback Mike Hart, who said he’s staying for another season. Although Hart’s the most intriguing prospect by far, scouts also mentioned Wolverines fullback Obi Oluigbo and Trojans tailback Chauncey Washington. Those two are considered possible late-round picks.

Scout 1: “Hart is more of a third-down back, a guy with quickness, toughness and vision. His size is going to hold him back. He’s about a fifth-round choice.”

Scout 2: “Hart’s not super fast, but he has more speed than you think. ... I think he’ll go a little higher than the fifth. He could go as early as the third. You see these smaller backs now -- Maurice Jones-Drew, Leon Washington -- guys with more production than size. He could be one of those.”

Scout 3: Hart has “got an edge to him, in a good way. He’s a kid that wants the carries. ... The downside is you look at Michigan backs, and none of those guys seem to do much at the next level.”

Quarterbacks

The scouts agreed that neither USC’s John David Booty nor Michigan’s Chad Henne is quite ready to take the step to the professional level, and that both could benefit greatly from one more season of college football. Both are juniors.

Scout 1: “Henne could go in the second round this year, but if he goes back for another year he’s got a chance to be the top quarterback in the draft. You want to see another solid year from him to feel good about taking him there. ... There’s no reason Booty should consider coming out. He’s got the tools for a guy who could be a first-day pick, but he’s not there yet. He needs more command and poise, and he needs to see the field better. He just needs to improve and tighten up his game in all areas.”

Scout 3: “Henne’s interesting. He’s undersized, and he’s not a great movement guy in terms of scrambling. He doesn’t have a huge arm, but he manages the game. You’ve got to have savvy to come in and play from day one. He’s got a cool calmness about him.”

Defensive linemen

Michigan has the edge up front, especially with 6-6, 330-pound tackle Alan Branch, a junior who could test the scouts’ theory that huge players will give Kalil problems. The scouts see Branch as a top-15 pick should he decide to turn pro. Wolverines defensive end LaMarr Woodley is undersized at 6-2, 268, but the scouts say he makes up for his lack of height with leverage and good use of his hands. He’s considered a possible second-rounder, as are USC defensive end Lawrence Jackson and nose guard Sedrick Ellis.

Scout 3: “Branch is the real deal. He’s a gigantic man, a top-20 guy who’s going to play for a long time. You can’t move him. ... He can take on a center or a guard and just bowl them over. You just wish he was a little more skilled with his feet.

Scout 2: “Woodley doesn’t have the ideal height, but he’ll fit for the team that takes him. He’s a lot like Tamba Hali, who the Chiefs took in the first round. If you can rush the passer, you can play.”

Scout 3: “Some people are really high on [Woodley]. I’m not. I think somebody’s going to make a mistake if they take him with a high pick. He gets washed off the ball too much. He’s smart and has initial good quickness. But he’s not good against the run and gets bounced around. He’s had production as a pass rusher, but a lot of guys do because there are a lot of bad tackles.”

Scout 4: “Jackson didn’t have a very good year as far as numbers

Linebackers

The player who most excites scouts, USC’s Rey Maualuga, is an underclassman who isn’t eligible for the 2007 draft. One scout said he has “Pro Bowl potential” if he continues to improve at his current rate. Another called him “explosive” yet said he’s “a click late here or there, but that will come with time.” The scouts see Trojans senior Dallas Sartz as a tough, smart player and likely second-day pick who could make a roster as a backup and special-teams player. Same goes for USC’s Oscar Lua. The Michigan linebackers the scouts like best are Dave Harris and Prescott Burgess, who are generally regarded as middle-round prospects.

Scout 1: “Sartz has got good straight-line speed. He’s more of a depth linebacker, but he’s a guy you can count on to do everything right.”

Scout 3: “Maualuga has real good foot quickness and agility. You saw that when he hit the UCLA quarterback.”

Scout 4: “[Maualuga] is kind of like a linebacker version of Troy Polamalu. He’s explosive and plays all over the field. I wouldn’t look at him because he’s a sophomore, but he just stands out.”

Scout 3: “Burgess is an interesting guy. He made a ton of plays in the Notre Dame game. He has instincts, and he’s a good interior blitzer when they line him up over a guard.”

Defensive backs

The scouts say each secondary has an eye-catching player. Michigan’s is senior cornerback Leon Hall; USC’s is safety Taylor Mays, a true freshman. Hall is expected to be a first-round pick. Mays isn’t eligible for the draft, but he’s already bowling over observers with his potential.

Scout 1: “Hall’s the best senior cornerback in the draft. He’s talented, smart, has quickness and agility. The only concern was he didn’t play as well against Ohio State receivers and dealing with their speed. ... He’s got very solid technique. He should go in the last half of the first round.”

Scout 3: “Hall can cover guys all over the field. He’s a real safe pick, maybe like a Dunta Robinson in Houston. ... That Ohio State kid [receiver Ted Ginn Jr.] is rare. He beats everybody.”

Scout 1: “Mays has got the talent to be very good a couple years down the line. He shows up on tape, which is impressive for a young guy. You’ll be in a film room with a bunch of scouts, and guys will be checking their notes to see if he’s a senior.”

sam.farmer@latimes.com