USC Football: Winners from the Trojans Pro Day

With USC's pro day having been completed for the benefit of eager NFL scouts, the process—at least for Trojan players—prior to the draft, is now completed.

Statistics in hand, the pro evaluators will now make their way to their collective destinations to assess which, if any, of these men of Troy will figure into their long-term plans.

This slideshow will look at some of these Trojans, with a focus on those players who acquitted themselves well under the microscope of those who get paid to determine who will succeed at the next level.

While quite a few participated in USC's pro day, only a few excelled.

Here are the ones who did.

Robert Woods (Receiver)

Though flanker Robert Woods only participated in the throwing drills, his presence in that portion of the workout seemed to reinforce the notion that Woods may be a first-round talent on draft day.

According to Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times, at least some of the scouts who had Woods as a second- or third-round choice now look at him as possibly a late first-round selection.

In fact, Farmer quotes George Stewart—the receivers coach for the Minnesota Vikings—as being very impressed with Woods, saying, "We’re very interested in guys who can make plays, but character first and foremost is what we’re interested in, and [Woods] has that.”

Consider USC's pro day a win for Robert Woods.

Wes Horton (Defensive End)

One guy who performed at the event also had a huge chip on his shoulder and it had nothing to do with any of the individual teams who showed up to assess his performance.

Instead, defensive end Wes Horton had something to prove to those who didn't feel he was worthy of an invite to the recently completed NFL combine.

After running a solid 4.87 in the 40-yard dash and measuring well in several other drills, Horton has likely now emerged as a viable player who may be looked at in the middle or later rounds.

Because he performed well when it counted, color Horton a winner at USC's pro day.

Nickell Robey (Cornerback)

The player who might have helped himself most at USC's pro day was cornerback Nickell Robey.

Robey—already operating under the burden of his 5'8" stature—did not perform exceptionally well at the NFL combine.

After turning in a decidedly pedestrian 4.51 40 time along with a good but not great vertical jump of 37.5 inches, Robey needed to turn some heads on Thursday.

Consider it mission accomplished.

Running the days best time in the 40 at 4.44 and complementing that with a much improved vertical leap of 40.5 inches, Robey has now reestablished himself as a possible target for those who play on Sundays.

Perhaps no other Trojan helped himself more than Robey did at USC's pro day.

Matt Barkley (Quarterback)

With questions still surrounding his injured shoulder, perhaps no one had more at stake at USC's pro day than quarterback Matt Barkley.

Though his performance only drew mixed reviews, Barkley did prove that his still mending injury was not enough of a hindrance to keep him from making most of the throws the scouts came out to see.

In an article by NFL.com's Chris Wesseling, NFL Network analyst Charles Davis thought Barkley "did a good job," but it was not enough to "knock Geno Smith off his pedestal."

Was his effort good enough to get Barkley back into the upper part of the first round of the NFL draft?

Time will tell.

Conclusion

In addition to the players profiled in this slideshow, other Trojans also participated in USC's pro day and some fared well although none really stood out.

Still, some individual performances are worth noting and in particular, safeties Drew McAllister, Tony Burnett, Jawanza Starling and T.J. McDonald all had their moments.

Meanwhile, center Khaled Holmes did OK in some of the workouts but was unable to do any bench presses, raising concerns that his pectoral injury suffered at the NFL combine was still not healed.

Overall, the pro day at USC was worthwhile for all concerned, and for those Trojans hoping to ply their wares on Sunday's, it was crucial.

Now all that is left is for these departing Trojans is the draft itself and a hope that they will be wanted by someone willing to pay them for what they have been doing for free for the last few years.