Report: USC WR Jordan Addison Out of Cotton Bowl With Injury; Expected to Enter Draft

USC wide receiver Jordan Addison reportedly intended to play in the Cotton Bowl, but an injury has changed his plans.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Addison suffered a "minor setback with his ankle" during the Pac-12 Championship Game against Utah earlier this month that will cause him to miss the bowl game on Jan. 2. Rapoport added that Addison is now expected to declare for the NFL draft.

Addison originally picked up the injury during the Trojans' regular-season loss to the Utes on Oct. 15. He missed the next two games before returning to play in the team's final four matchups of the year. In the conference championship game on Dec. 2, he finished with five catches for 65 yards as USC went on to lose 47-24.

In 11 games this season, Addison recorded 59 receptions for 875 yards and eight touchdowns. B/R's NFL scouting department ranked him as the No. 2 receiver and No. 11 overall player on its most recent NFL draft big board. He was deemed the best route-runner and most pro-ready wideout in the draft class.

Addison transferred to USC after playing two years at Pitt. He was named the 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner after catching 100 passes for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns on a Panthers team that won its first ACC championship last season.

The 6'0", 175-pound junior is set to join a long line of USC wide receivers in the NFL. That list includes Michael Pittman Jr., JuJu Smith-Schuster, Amon-Ra St. Brown and, most recently, 2022 first-round pick Drake London. B/R's most recent 2023 mock draft predicts Addison to be selected 12th overall by the Chicago Bears.

Without Addison in the lineup, the Trojans will head into the Cotton Bowl against a Tulane team that has won its past three games.