Category: Trojans in NFL

Prominent commntators tackle the big question: Is Caleb Williams better than Justin Fields?

The Chicago Bears have to make a huge QB decision which will significantly affect the 2024 NFL draft.

The Chicago Bears are on the clock. They get first dibs on Caleb Williams. They must decide whether to trade Justin Fields or trade the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft for a large amount of assets and pieces.

Bears Wire offered this note on the Bears’ handling of the Justin Fields situation:

“Justin Fields faces an uncertain future after three seasons with the Bears, made uncertain with Chicago holding the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. But unlike last year, when they also had the top selection, it’s not a foregone conclusion that the team is going to stick with Fields.

“That’s because of Heisman-winning quarterback Caleb Williams, who’s widely considered the top prospect in this 2024 draft class. Many experts believe it’s a foregone conclusion that the Bears draft Williams with the first pick come April 25. But that’s not necessarily the case.

“According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Bears front office hasn’t yet made a decision about Fields’ future. That decision will ultimately come following the evaluation of quarterback prospects in this year’s draft class.”

See what other commenators are saying about the Williams-versus-Fields debate in Chicago:

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

2024 NFL draft order puts Chicago Bears first, Washington Commanders second

If the Bears ride with Justin Fields, another team will likely trade up with Chicago for Caleb Williams at No. 1.

The end of the 2023 NFL regular season means we have the order of picks for the 2024 NFL draft this coming spring.

All eyes will be on Caleb Williams as the NFL waits to see where the likely No. 1 pick will be headed. The obvious first point to make is that the Chicago Bears, picking at No. 1, are probably going to stick with Justin Fields. We say this because the Bears have indicated they will keep coach Matt Eberflus for 2024. If they’re doing that, they are likely sticking with Fields. It only makes sense that if a team stays with the head coach, it will stay with the quarterback attached to that coach.

Assuming the Bears do stay with Fields at quarterback, that means the Bears will shop the top pick and get a lot of draft assets and other pieces in exchange. The Washington Commanders, at No. 2, have an acute need at quarterback and will be hiring a new head coach after moving on from Ron Rivera. They have the most reason to trade with the Bears, and they have the most leverage due to their No. 2 position on the board.

The intrigue surrounding the draft and Caleb’s place within it now begins to increase. We’ll be following this along with you and everyone else. Be sure to read Commanders Wire and Bears Wire for full coverage of draft intrigue and Caleb Williams.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

Former USC QB Matt Barkley signs with Jacksonville Jaguars

Matt Barkley has another NFL team.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed quarterback Matt Barkley to the active roster from the New York Giants’ practice squad.

Barkley was originally picked by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round (No. 98) in the 2013 NFL draft. He has appeared in 19 games, starting six with Chicago and one with Buffalo since entering the NFL. Over the last 10 seasons, Barkley has spent time in Philadelphia, Arizona, Chicago, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Tennessee, Carolina, Atlanta and the New York Giants.

In his career, he has completed 212-of-363 passes for 2,699 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Giants signed Barkley on Halloween this year to the practice squad. He was with the club’s active roster from Nov. 8 to Dec. 4 before being re-signed to the practice squad. With the emergence of Tommy DeVito and backup Tyrod Taylor on the roster, the Giants were able to move on from the former USC Trojan.

The Newport Beach, California, native played collegiately at USC (2009-12), where he recorded 1,001 completions for 12,327 yards and 116 touchdowns. During his junior year (2011), he finished sixth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

USC safety Calen Bullock will enter the 2024 NFL draft, trying to be a Day 2 selection

Calen Bullock will try to be a Day 2 pick, but regardless, he will get his shot to make it in the NFL.

USC safety Calen Bullock will not be coming back to the Trojans in 2024. He wants to pursue his professional career and get that paycheck, which is a special opportunity for anyone in position to chase that dream.

Bullock announced that he would indeed be entering the 2024 NFL draft. One of USC’s few high-profile defensive prospects will now prepare to make himself a top pro and impress NFL scouts in the coming months.

You might remember that Mekhi Blackmon surprised everyone by becoming a Day 2 pick in the 2023 draft, going to the Minnesota Vikings. Bullock would love to be in that same position. That would be a tremendous result for him, all things considered. Nothing is guaranteed or likely, so Bullock has some work to do to put himself in a spot where Day 2 is a realistic possibility. If not, Bullock should still get drafted for sure. Any team that might take him on Day 3 could get considerable value.

We wish Calen Bullock the best as he embarks on his pro career.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

USC safety Max Williams will enter 2024 NFL draft

Max Williams is betting on himself.

USC safety Max Williams wants to turn the page in his football career and see if he can make the NFL. Williams told Ryan Young of USC’s Rivals site that he intends to turn pro and put himself up for consideration at the 2024 NFL draft.

For Williams and other members of USC’s secondary in 2023, the key question surrounding the jump to the pros is if they can respond well to coaching in upcoming all-star games, practices, pro days, and the NFL scouting combine. These members of USC’s secondary were not served well by coaching from Alex Grinch and Donte Williams. That could hurt them on the draft board. However, no longer being coached by Grinch and Williams might enable them to make a jump up the big board when they work out for various NFL teams and scouts.

We wish Max Williams the best and hope he can stick with an NFL team. It would be a special achievement to establish a professional career and gain a foothold in this cutthroat industry.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

Tahj Washington and Christian Roland-Wallace will enter the 2024 NFL draft

Two USC players accepted an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl.

The USC Trojans are losing two players to the NFL draft. Christian Roland-Wallace was part of a disappointing secondary in 2023. He will try to boost his NFL draft stock in the coming weeks and months. The bigger loss is Tahj Washington, the reliable and overperforming wide receiver who was one of the more consistent members of the wide receiver room over the past two seasons.

While Mario Williams and Dorian Singer struggled, Washington was able to get open more regularly and give the Trojans relatively consistent production at wide receiver. While one could legitimately call Williams and Singer busts in 2023, Washington remained a positive force on the roster and earned the respect and trust not only of Caleb Williams and Lincoln Riley, but the larger USC fan base. Everyone who follows USC football will view Tahj Washington’s USC career as a good one. Everyone will look back fondly on his years in Los Angeles and his contributions to the program.

Both Washington and Roland-Wallace have accepted invitations to the January East-West Shrine Bowl, one of the college all-star showcases which will be widely attended and studied by NFL scouts and executives. We wish the best to these two Trojans as they pursue their NFL dreams.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

Imagine how good Drake London could be if the Falcons ever found a quarterback

Drake London needs a better QB in Atlanta.

The Atlanta Falcons may have dropped a 29-25 game againt the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past Sunday, but the offense got a huge boost from wide receiver Drake London in Week 14 of the NFL season.

The former USC Trojan had 10 catches for 172 yards in the loss against the Bucs, both career highs.

The game was impressive, but London’s larger imprint hasn’t been nearly as extensive as the Falcons hoped it would be.

London’s two touchdowns match the lowest total for any of the league’s top 39 players in receiving yards (London ranks 28th). All season, the Falcons have been better at piling up yards (15th in total offense) than points (24th in scoring offense).

With a three-way tie atop the NFC South standings with four weeks left, the Falcons, Bucs and New Orleans Saints can all put themselves in good position to make the playoffs

“We’re not out of it,” London said. “We have to put up points and do all that. We’re not out of it. We’re going to keep on chugging and try to make our push into the playoffs.”

When looking at London in Atlanta, the obvious point arises: What if the Falcons could ever find an elite quarterback to make London’s impact a whole lot bigger? Desmond Ridder is not the answer. The Atlanta franchise has to make a big upgrade. Then Drake London could truly begin to soar as a Falcon.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

Rich Eisen has a message for anyone who thinks Caleb Williams won’t go No. 1 in 2024 NFL draft

Nothing has fundamentally changed in the 2024 NFL draft.

Marvin Harrison Jr. is out there. So is Drake Maye. Will a team grab an edge rusher or an offensive tackle? Who goes No. 1 in the 2024 NFL draft next spring? With all the chatter around who will go number one, most experts still think it’s Caleb Williams. I agree, and I’m not the only one who has this take.

If Williams’ college career ended today, he’d finish second in the country in passing yards (3,633) and tied for third in passing touchdowns (30). He has thrown only five interceptions and completed 68.8% of his passes. No matter how much you hate it, Williams is the most NFL-ready quarterback in this draft with the highest ceiling.

Rich Eisen of The Rich Eisen Show and NFL Network made a very clear and direct statement about Caleb Williams’ position on the NFL draft board for 2024, and on the reality surrounding his perceived value to NFL teams. Don’t fall for the trial balloons or the smokescreens. Caleb Williams will be the No. 1 overall pick.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

Football scouting director Bill Carroll returns for another Trojans Wire interview

Football scouting director Bill Carroll provides NFL player comparisons for multiple USC draft prospects.

You might recall that I talked to football scouting expert Bill Carroll last year. Guess what? Bill is back.

I sat down once again with Carroll, a longtime friend and mentor, to talk about the 2023 USC Trojans, Caleb Williams, and more.

Who is Bill Carroll in the football industry?

Carroll is the Director of HBCU Scouting. He is also the CDS Scouting and Vlogger/draft expert for Nuts and Bolts Sports. Scouting is his realm of expertise.

Trojans Wire: If he in fact does enter the 2024 NFL draft, what are your thoughts on Caleb Williams at the next level?

Bill Caroll: I’m not as high on Williams as others. My comparisons for Caleb Williams have been 75% Jeff Blake and 25% Woody Dantzler.

While he has the type of creativity and QB Ninjutsu that remind many of Patrick Lavon Mahomes II, I do not see the same type of vision of the middle of the field or holding the safeties and dropping linebackers from Williams.

Trojans Wire: If USC safety Calen Bullock declares for the draft, what type of prospect could he be in the NFL?

Bill Caroll: Calen Bullock is a player who could play at either safety spot in the next level. I see both elements of Camryn Bynum as well as Grant Delpit in his game. However, stylistically, I see Kamren Curl as the type of career he could have.

Trojans Wire: The last prospect I wanted to dive into was Brendan Rice, who had a breakout senior season for the Trojans. What do we think of Rice at the next level?

Bill Caroll: While Brendan Rice is the son of the the G.O.A.T. (Jerry Rice), the player he most reminds me of is Muhsin Muhammad, formerly of the Carolina Panthers.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

49ers beat Pete Carroll’s Seahawks without an injured Talanoa Hufanga

Talanoa Hufanga helped the 49ers. Now he hopes San Francisco has enough to make the Super Bowl without him.

The San Fransisco 49ers pounded the Seattle Seahawks on Thanksgiving night, 31-13, to take full control of the NFC West Division. The Niners watched the Detroit Lions lose earlier on Thursday, boosting their odds of finishing with the No. 2 seed in the NFC, which is what they did last year.

One 49er received unfortunate news earlier this month. Former USC star Talanoa Hufanga was ruled out for the rest of the season. An MRI confirmed that the All-Pro safety did, in fact, tear his ACL in a game against the Tampa Buccaneers.

49er head coach Kyle Shanahan said, “They don’t think there was any meniscus or anything, so it was as clean as it could be for just being an ACL.”

Through 10 games, Hufanga was fourth on the team in tackles (51) and tied for first in interceptions (3).

Hufanga, 23, earned a full-time starting job with the 49ers last year in his second NFL season. He started all 17 games, tallying four interceptions, two forced fumbles, nine passes defended, two sacks and 66 tackles. He earned a Pro Bowl invite and first-team All-Pro honors for his efforts.

In his third season, Hufanga will be eligible for a contract extension for the first time in his pro career. His injury makes that situation a bit murkier, but Shanahan indicated that Hufanga should be ready to go at the start of next season.

“He will need a plan for training camp, but with the time and everything, if everything goes smoothly, he should be ready for Week 1 of 2024” Shanahan said.

Hufanga might be watching the 49ers make a run to the Super Bowl. The big question will be if Hufanga’s absence proves to be pivotal in the Niners’ battle with the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC championship.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.