USC QB Sam Darnold: The Talk of the 2017 Combine

For those of you who have no interest in NCAA basketball, USC spring football is finally here! The first week of spring camp was last week, but before we dive into that we need to discuss the NFL combine and the buzz coming out of Indianapolis.

The NFL Network’s coverage of the combine was fantastic as always, and there was plenty of hot topics discussed. From John Ross breaking 40-yard dash record with a time of 4.2 2 all the way to the absence of Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon, no topic of conversation was larger than USC sophomore QB Sam Darnold.

It was reported by multiple outlets that Sam Darnold’s name came up with several NFL GMs and coaches and while it normally would be expected that a USC QB is a hot topic at the NFL draft… he’s not even eligible this year.

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

That’s right – Sam Darnold just completed his first year, true freshman season for the Trojans and won’t be eligible to declare for the NFL draft until 2018.

There’s no denying Darnold is insanely talented and put up one of the best true freshman seasons we’ve seen in quite a while, but let’s pump the brakes on the draft talk.

There’s no doubt in my mind Sam Darnold is going to be the first QB taken in the 2018 draft. But here’s the reality – the dude hasn’t even played a full season in the NCAA yet.

NFL GM’s – don’t you want to see him play a full season before drafting him? Don’t you want to see how he handles a tough game in South Bend on the road in the freezing cold? Don’t you want to see how he can handle the college football playoff?

There’s plenty of things NFL GMs should be wanting to see out of Darnold before they turn their attention away from the current QBs available in this year’s draft.

Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images

Again, I’m not saying he’s not going to be the first QB off the board in 2018. Let’s just slow down and see how Darnold handles a full season at the helm. USC is a heavy preseason favorite to be in the playoff, so there’s plenty of pressure to go around. Not that there’s always pressure at USC or anything…

Fire away in the comments.