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USC NFL scouting combine recap

Here's a review of the USC Trojans who took part in the NFL combine last weekend in Indianapolis.

DL Leonard Williams (6-foot-5, 302)

Leonard went into the combine with the highest draft stock of any USC player and he did pretty much everything he could have done to maintain that ranking. Not only did he measure in with excellent size but he was the first defensive player in a decade to be that tall and weigh more than 300 pounds to run under 5.0 in the 40-yard dash (Williams ran 4.97). In the drills he looked agile and strong, and is virtually guaranteed to be off the draft board within the first few picks of the opening round. Don't expect to see Leonard do much at the USC Pro Day, his pre-draft work is complete.

WR Nelson Agholor (6-foot, 198)

The event was definitely a success for Agholor, even if he finished early due to a dislocated finger on his left hand. Nelson had done plenty before the injury to show that he deserves mention within a very good group of receivers, maybe not enough to be one of the top names but definitely worthy of being an early-round selection. He ran a very respectable 4.42 in the 40 and his 10-yard split time of 1.53 tied for the fastest of all receivers, something that is worthy to mention for a potential slot receiver. NFL Network analyst and Super Bowl winning coach Brian Billick said “After this morning I'm going back and doing more homework on Nelson Agholor.”

DB Josh Shaw (6-foot, 201)

There might not have been a USC player who did more for himself at the combine than Shaw. After missing most of his senior year this was a critical opportunity for Shaw to remind the NFL personnel of his natural tools, and he did that by running a 4.44 in the 40 (tied for No. 3 mark at CB) while also putting up 26 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press (the top number among corners and one that would have been in the upper half for OL). The 40 time is what really stood out as not a lot of people expected Josh to run a time like that. Now it will be important for him to build upon that performance at the USC Pro Day, when there figures to be a lot more attention paid to him now.

RB Buck Allen (6-foot, 221)

Allen kind of slid under the radar, at least in relation to some of the other Trojans, but he did what he needed to do in order to maintain his position as a mid-round selection or even better. It's a good group of running backs in this class and it says something that Buck ran the No. 6 40-time among all backs at 4.53 while also showing his good hands in drills. His bench number of 11 reps seemed a little low for a back of his size but that's not something that is going to be a huge concern.

LB Hayes Pullard (6-foot, 240)

It was the kind of steady performance that you would expect to see from Pullard. His 4.78 time in the 40 isn't going to wow you but it will be enough to keep him in consideration for a Day 3 draft pick, especially when teams start to factor in his career production and the fact that he started 51 games for the Trojans.

OLB J.R. Tavai (6-foot-2, 249)

Tavai didn't shine in any of the drills, in large part because he has never been a full-time outside linebacker, which is where he took part at the event. It's not that he can't play the position but it's probably where he saw the least production at USC, he was much more effective grappling at the line and getting after the quarterback. The fact that he is getting a look show the NFL people understand his versatility, and the hope is they see enough potential at OLB to give him a long look.

TE Randall Telfer (6-foot-4, 250)

Telfer chose to take part only in the interview portion of the event, along with the bench press testing where his mark of 20 reps tied for No. 5 at the tight end spot. His plan is to do the on-field drills and workout as part of the USC pro day on March 11.