2018 NFL Draft: 5 underclassman who should not have declared early

There wasn’t a hotter name entering the 2017 season than USC quarterback Sam Darnold. After coming off the bench the year before he had the Trojans in the title conversation early on. Those title hopes never materialized and a large portion of the blame falls on Darnold’s shoulders.

Turnovers and poor decision-making haunted Darnold all season. He threw 26 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. He tallied five rushing touchdowns but 11 fumbles. 31 total touchdowns against 24 turnovers is not the kind of stat that NFL teams are looking for in a franchise quarterback, quite the opposite actually.

Darnold’s final game for the Trojans perfectly encapsulated what became his final season. He completed 26 of 45 passes for 356 yards against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl. In that game Darnold threw no touchdown passes, instead a lone interception which was returned for a touchdown by the Buckeyes. He also fumbled twice.

The offense under Darnold was sporadic, but always capable of a quick strike. When he’s playing his best Darnold can fit a ball into the tightest windows. Despite his struggles he’s still going to be a first round pick, and potentially a top-5 selection. His early departure might not impair his draft stock significantly, but its clear that Darnold has a long learning curve ahead of him that could have been addressed in college. He’s still going to get a big payday, but his chances at future success are not better by leaving college so soon.