USC’s Mekhi Blackmon prepares for his NFL education

Mekhi Blackmon’s NFL evaluation is tricky, given his place on a defense which had so many weaknesses.

In his four-year (2018-21) career at Colorado, Mekhi Blackmon had 87 tackles, including three for losses (with 2 sacks), 13 deflections, a fumble recovery, and 2 interceptions while appearing in 25 games (with 19 starts). Then he came to USC and added value to the Trojans’ secondary.

Blackmon is an experienced, savvy, and physical cornerback who knows how to contribute from a variety of roles, but his physical limitations prevent him from contending for a top-100 selection. He is a projected fifth or sixth-round pick at this point of the draft process.

Blackmon finished the 2022 season with 47 tackles and three interceptions for USC. The Trojans would have been a lot worse in 2022 if Blackmon had not been on the roster. Blackmon was part of a defense which cratered late in the season, but which stood tall in wins over Oregon State and Washington State in the first half of the season. One wonders how much being on that USC defense will limit Blackmon’s place on the draft board.

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