Productive weekend for departing senior Trojans

The meat market that is known as the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama is the final opportunity for college football players to wow NFL coaches and executives with their in-game abilities.

…and with their performances in Saturday’s game, combined with a mostly-strong week of practices under the tutelage of the Miami Dolphins coaching staff, who led the South team, the four USC Trojans that participated all appeared to make favorable impressions.

Running back Stafon Johnson returned from his well-documented freak-weightlifting accident to play in his first game since the near-death experience that crushed his larynx in September. Though Johnson only rushed for three yards on four carries, he showed some explosiveness and athleticism during the week and proved he can pass block.

Johnson may still go undrafted as he was only projected as a fourth or fifth round pick prior to the injury, but showing he wouldn’t shy away from contact and that there was no tentativeness could very well earn him an invite to training camp (if he doesn’t petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility as he has said he wouldn’t).

Down in the trenches, center Jeff Byers did what would have been helpful for left tackle Charles Brown, who traveled to Mobile but did not play due to a calf injury – he suited up. Byers did nothing spectacular in the game. Although he was the lead blocker on a long gain by Tulane’s Jeremy Williams, his only true highlight was recovering South teammate Tim Tebow’s second fumble.

However, during the week, Byers displayed his versatility by moving between the center and two guard positions and likely improved his draft stock, especially considering the dearth of solid interior lineman prospects this year.

For Brown, after not having the best season, a strong week of practice and a solid performance in Saturday’s game, especially if he could have used his athleticism and been the one tackle to keep the game-MVP, Michigan’s Brandon Graham, from causing havoc in the backfield, could have pushed him from an end-of-the-first or second round pick to the 15-25 pick range.

Tight end Anthony McCoy may have done the most to improve his draft position by repeatedly beating linebackers in practice and showing that he could block in both the run and passing games. If you watch the highlights below closely, you will notice that McCoy has his man locked up in every one of the selected clips that he is on the field.

He finished with only one catch for four yards but likely would have more if he didn’t have Tim Tebow throwing to him. At 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, McCoy has the size to be a blocking tight end in the NFL, but if he can show consistent hands and produce a solid 40-yard dash time, his stock could continue to rise.

With one play, safety Taylor Mays boosted his draft stock. After scouts continually questioned Mays’ ability to make the big play catching the ball rather than solely going for the big hit, Mays showed exactly what they wanted, reading a pass from Oregon State’s Sean Canfield perfectly, breaking on the ball, and intercepting the pass.

Though he didn’t have a great week of practice in pass coverage, that one play probably allowed at least one team to fall in love with him enough to make him a mid-first round choice. Mays continued to show his tremendous run-support abilities during practice and also in the game when he nailed Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour during a scramble on a 4th-and-goal play early in the fourth quarter.

He did just enough to have some team sitting between the No. 10 and No. 20 overall picks salivating come April. And when all is said and done, he and 6-8 other Trojans will likely hear their names called during the two day NFL Draft held in New York.