The Husky Haul
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SB Nation Bill Connelly Ranks USC Over Washington Football

By Bret Stuter

Nov 12, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies running back Myles Gaskin (9) rushes against the USC Trojans during the first quarter at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies running back Myles Gaskin (9) rushes against the USC Trojans during the first quarter at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; The podium with draft logo at the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; The podium with draft logo at the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

2017 NFL Draft

The 2017 NFL Draft impact to the Washington Football team is well documented.  In fact, the NFL Draft impacted the Washington Football Team most of all.  But Washington was not the only NCAA program with drafted players.

The Washington Huskies propelled five players into the 2017 NFL Draft.  Three players entered the NFL as undrafted free agents. And one player left football to play Rugby.  In total, the Huskies lost nine players. All in all, the team lost three defensive backs, two linebackers, a tight end, a wide receiver, a defensive tackle, and an offensive lineman.

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USC Draft Losses Considerable

Similarly, USC lost five players to the 2017 NFL Draft (albeit later in the draft).  But the Trojans lost an additional five players as undrafted free agents.   The Trojans lost two defensive backs, a tight end, two wide receivers, a nose tackle, three offensive linemen, and a running back.

Michael Castillo of Reign of Troy does a masterful job of summarizing the players on their way to an NFL career.  But notice the makeup of USC players?  Three offensive linemen including a center.   I suspect that will not be as seamless of a transition for the Trojans as so many pundits believe.

Bill Connelly does a great job each year with his annual NCAA projections. And his articles are not intended, in my perspective, to be a factual “this is the way everything will go down” as much as a thought provoking discussion catalyst.

PAC-12 Champs

As a matter of fact, the massive amounts of intricate details to generate such a project requires streamlining what is weighed in the projections.  This discussion simply adds back some contributing factors which were omitted in the original analysis.

USC is a fine football program. But the Washington Huskies are the defending PAC-12 champs.  Until some team takes that title from them on the field of play, it’s my job to ensure they retain it in the media.

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