Trojans Now One Shy of Irish Draft Record

After drafting five Trojans on Saturday, the NFL added another half dozen on Sunday. The 11 players selected this weekend represent the most by any school in this year’s draft, and one more than the USC class of 2008. The National Football League has now drafted 461 players from Southern California, leaving the school just one shy of Notre Dame (462) for the lead in all time selections.

Pete Carroll’s Trojans have provided the bulk of the movement, positioning the program to take the lead in 2010. Since his arrival in 2001, 54 players have been selected, with 14 chosen in the first round. Only the 2007 and 2002 classes failed to provide an opening round choice.

Thirty seven of the 54 selections reflect the last four drafts. In the same span, Notre Dame has produced 35 players, yielding just two first round selections. The Irish have produced just 15 NFL players since 2006. The recent difference in the NFL production between the two schools is evidenced in the success and failures on the field—long before a single name is ever called in the draft.

Though USC boasts the most selections in this year’s draft, the class pales in comparison to the Trojan classes of 1975 (14) and 1953 (15). Here are the 2009 additions to the National Football League:

Player	Round	Pick	team
QB Mark Sanchez	1	5	Jets
LB Brian Cushing	1	15	Texans
LB Clay Matthews	1	26	Packers
LB Rey Maualuga	2	38	Bengals
DT Fili Moala	2	56	Colts
WR Patrick Turner	3	87	Dolphins
LB Kaluka Maiava	4	104	Browns
DE Kyle Moore	4	117	Bucs
K David Buehler	5	172	Cowboys
CB Cary Harris	6	183	Bills
S Kevin Ellison	6	189	Chargers

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