USC Football: A Look at the Class of 2013 and Their NFL Draft Prospects, Pt. 2

On Thursday, we took a look at the senior class of 2013 for the USC Trojan football team and began to break down the top players in regards to their prospects in the upcoming NFL draft.

As mentioned on Thursday, there are 20 seniors on the current Trojan squad, including the injured DE Devon Kennard who will be back in 2013 after sitting out the entire 2012 season. Backup center Abe Markowitz is petitioning the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility, but if it's granted, he will have to play someplace other than USC.

Let’s take a look at three more USC players who will be entering the 2013 NFL draft.

Curtis McNeal

Curtis McNeal presents an interesting draft problem. He’s short. At just 5’7” and 190 pounds, he is undersized for many situations. Although small running backs, such as Maurice Jones-Drew, have had considerable success in the NFL, the smaller stature overall doesn’t bode especially well for a long-term superstar career in the NFL.

That said, McNeal has been reliable, strong, fast and beast-like for the Trojans during his career and has often played like he is four or five inches and 15-20 pounds larger than he is. He would fare well in an offense that is run-heavy, as his quick feet and agility could carry him past defenders and towards the end zone.

Personally, I think McNeal is a third-round-or-later pick at this point.

Khaled Holmes

Khaled Holmes is one of the best centers in college football. He and Matt Barkley went to high school together, and Holmes has been Barkley’s guy since his freshman year at Mater Dei High School.

Knowing that puts the Stanford game—when Holmes was out with injury and Cyrus Hobbi subbed in at center—into perspective. When you spend eight years with the same guy snapping the ball for you…well, you can imagine.

Holmes, at 6’4" and 305 pounds, is a strong and intelligent athlete. He earned his bachelor's in Classics, and the redshirt senior is working on his master's in communications management at USC’s Annenberg School.

Holmes, with the intelligence he has, will do well in the 2013 NFL draft.

Wes Horton

Wes Horton is a 6’5”, 255-pound defensive end with 74 career tackles, including 11.5 for losses (with eight sacks). He has 22 career starts. Horton is a solid player who should fare well in the upcoming NFL draft.

He has the size and ability to make adjustments on reads from the offense. He’s played in Monte Kiffin’s defense for the past three seasons, which is no easy scheme to master.