The USC defense has a lot to prove this year. Accordingly, the USC defense has a lot of players who have something to prove to themselves, to their teammates and coaches, and to NFL scouts and executives.
NFL evaluators will find a few clear-cut talents on the 2023 USC defense. Start with Calen Bullock, continue with Mason Cobb, and then move to the defensive line, where Jamil Muhammad and Kyon Barrs should be regularly productive players. However, after the small group of stars, there are a lot of unproven players who need to round into form this year under coordinator Alex Grinch. Obviously, Bear Alexander and Anthony Lucas are going to be huge pieces of this defense, but they are not going to be part of the 2024 NFL draft class. They will play at least two more college seasons before they consider going pro. In terms of the NFL draft conversation, you’ll find a lot of USC defensive players who won’t start but will need to be ready when their names are called this fall. That is the big overarching story facing this defense and its depth pieces.
Let’s take a look at some members of the potential 2024 NFL draft class, acknowledging that:
1) Not all of these players might declare for the draft; some of them are juniors.
2) We’re not assuming they will all be drafted. Far from it. These are players under consideration, but not (all) viewed as likely draftees. Some will be, but most are not.