USC football: What we learned at Trojans Pro Day ahead of 2023 NFL Draft
LOS ANGELES — USC hosted scouts from all 32 NFL teams for the football program's Pro Day on Tuesday. In rainy and wet conditions, 15 USC players attended the event.
WR Jordan Addison, DB Mekhi Blackmon, WR Terrell Bynum, DB Micah Croom, RB Travis Dye, TE Josh Falo, QB Mo Hasan, OL Bobby Haskins, TE Erik Krommenhoek (’21), RB Vavae Malepeai (’21), OL Brett Neilon, RB Brandon Outlaw, DL Brandon Pili, DL Tuli Tuipulotu and OL Andrew Vorhees were all present.
Out of USC's likely draft picks, Addison, Blackmon, Dye and Tuipulotu all participated in some form. Dye was the only member of that group to run the 40-yard dash. Neilon and Vorhees did not participate due to being injured.
Which Trojans will be selected in 2023 NFL Draft?
Here's what we learned from USC's Pro Day.
Jordan Addison viewed the rainy weather as an opportunity to impress scouts instead of choosing to not participate in route running drills.
"When the rain came down, I was like 'okay now I'm really going to show them what I'm about,'" he said. "On any surface, I'm going to get to it. It doesn't matter if it's snowing or anything. I'm going to show them that I'm willing to come out here and do whatever they want me to do."
Addison also said the team that he's heard from most recently is the New York Giants and that he's willing to play anywhere on offense or special teams to get on the field at the next level. Addison, a projected first round pick, wants NFL teams to know that he's comfortable catching passes over the middle and he's hoping to continue to work on improving his catch radius and making contested catches.
Tuli Tuipulotu has pre-draft meetings scheduled with the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. He spoke with scouts from the San Francisco 49ers, Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Pro Day.
"I'm excited for the visits for sure," he said.
In meetings with NFL teams so far, Tuipulotu said USC's struggles at the end of last season on defense have been brought up, which was a surprise.
"I got a couple hard comments about how we ended the season," he said. "They really caught me off-guard with those. They try and get you out of your comfort zone to see what kind of person you are."
Andrew Vorhees found out he tore his ACL two hours before bench pressing an NFL Combine leading 38 reps. He will have surgery to repair the injury next week.
Following his viral bench press performance, Vorhees said he's received an overwhelming amount of support.
"So many kids have reached out to me saying how inspiring I am to them after going through the same injury," he said. "That's probably been the coolest thing about the whole situation."
Vorhees spoke with scouts from the Washington Commanders and Denver Broncos on Tuesday.
Mekhi Blackmon has been in touch with every NFL team. Some like him as a nickel corner and others as an outside CB.
"It's going to be interesting to see where I end up and where they put me," he said.
USC center Brett Neilon tore his achilles in the Pac-12 championship game. It's been three months since his operation and the recovery time is expected to be between eight and ten months overall.
"I've been attacking rehab," Neilon said. "With this injury, it's a little bit slower on the front end. But it's definitely starting to pick up."
Travis Dye is fully healthy after having ankle surgery.
"I'm fine right now, 100%" he said.
The 49ers and Green Bay Packers have been in touch with Dye.
