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It took until the third round, but at long last, a Trojan is off the board. On Friday, the Houston Texans selected defensive back Jaylin Smith with the 97th overall pick in the NFL Draft, making him the first USC player drafted in 2025.
Smith was a steady presence in the Trojans’ secondary over the past four seasons. As a senior in 2024, he recorded 58 tackles, two passes defended, and two interceptions. Smith’s best game as a Trojan came in the 2023 Holiday Bowl, when he had a career-high 12 tackles.
In Houston, Smith will reunite with former USC safety Calen Bullock. The two arrived on campus together in the same recruiting class and were teammates with the Trojans for three seasons. The Texans took Bullock in last year’s draft, also in the third round.
This marks the first time since 2019 that USC did not have a player drafted in the first round. It is also the first time since 2017 that the Trojans’ highest-drafted player is a defensive player. That year, the Tennessee Titans selected cornerback Adoree’ Jackson 18th overall.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Jaylin Smith becomes a higher-than-expected NFL draft pick by Texans
Continue reading...
Smith was a steady presence in the Trojans’ secondary over the past four seasons. As a senior in 2024, he recorded 58 tackles, two passes defended, and two interceptions. Smith’s best game as a Trojan came in the 2023 Holiday Bowl, when he had a career-high 12 tackles.
In Houston, Smith will reunite with former USC safety Calen Bullock. The two arrived on campus together in the same recruiting class and were teammates with the Trojans for three seasons. The Texans took Bullock in last year’s draft, also in the third round.
This marks the first time since 2019 that USC did not have a player drafted in the first round. It is also the first time since 2017 that the Trojans’ highest-drafted player is a defensive player. That year, the Tennessee Titans selected cornerback Adoree’ Jackson 18th overall.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Jaylin Smith becomes a higher-than-expected NFL draft pick by Texans
Continue reading...
