Morris: Draft reflects well on USC recruiting

THE NFL DRAFT is too much like college football recruiting for my taste. We will not know the results for another four or five seasons and can properly evaluate which players panned out in the NFL.

For now, perhaps the biggest winner of the two-day talent grab that concluded Sunday was the South Carolina football program. Seven players were selected, matching Ohio State and Oregon State for the second-most picks behind Southern California’s 11.

There are no guarantees that any of the seven will make an NFL roster this summer. Still, the number of picks alone is quite a selling point for USC in recruiting. Every previous year around this time, Spurrier has said the day will come when USC is a fertile recruiting ground for NFL talent.

Apparently that day arrived Sunday. Only five players total were selected in the three previous drafts under Spurrier at USC. Sunday’s seven selections were surpassed in program history only by the 1954 class of nine when there were 30 rounds instead of the seven this weekend.

In that 1954 draft, only three of the nine were selected in the first five rounds. The previous high for picks in the first seven rounds was 2002 when Kalimba Edwards, Sheldon Brown, Andre Goodman, Willie Offord and John Stamper all went in the first six rounds.

What this year’s draft signals is that Spurrier is finally getting SEC-caliber talent to USC. Of the seven players selected, Jared Cook, Kenny McKinley, Jasper Brinkley, Captain Munnerlyn and Ryan Succop all were recruited by Spurrier. Only Jamon Meredith and Stoney Woodson were brought in by the previous coaching staff.

“Obviously, our talent level is a lot better than it used to be,” Spurrier said Monday. “We’ve had good athletes who are draftable. ... It just means we recruited a pretty good level of guys.”

The point is that USC now can boast to recruits that playing for the Gamecocks could be a stepping stone to the NFL. It might not ring true, but we’re talking recruiting here.

The reality is that only Cook has an outstanding chance of playing in the NFL. He was selected in the third round by the Tennessee Titans, the 89th selection overall.

First-round selections are guaranteed to play in the NFL. Since the draft began in 1936, only 46 first-round picks never played a down in the NFL, according to the “Draft Encyclopedia.” Second-round picks also have an excellent chance.

Clubs generally invest too much money in the first- and second-rounders to cut them loose. All first-rounders and most second-rounders are guaranteed large signing bonuses. On top of that, clubs do not want their scouting departments to look bad by releasing first- and second-round players before they are given every chance to succeed.

For the most part, third-round selections enjoy at least some playing time in the NFL. That’s why it is likely Cook will stick with Tennessee. Beyond him, fifth-round picks McKinley (Denver), Brinkley (Minnesota) and Meredith (Green Bay) have a slim chance of making their respective teams, and seventh-rounders Munnerlyn (Carolina), Woodson (New York Giants) and Succop (Kansas City) are long shots at best.

All of those drafted will receive some sort of guaranteed signing bonus, although the seventh-rounders won’t get much more than pocket change. Aside from that bonus money, it sometimes is better for a player to go undrafted.

Cory Boyd is a case in point. The running back was the lone USC selection in the 2008 draft, taken in the seventh round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He arrived in training camp along with a cadre of running backs and soon was released. Had he not been drafted, Boyd could have signed as a free agent with Denver, where he eventually landed, because the Broncos were short on backs.

On the surface, it appears strong safety Emanuel Cook could have benefited by remaining for his senior season at USC. His decision to leave early might have cost him a significant signing bonus. But if his sole goal is to play in the NFL, he might not have been hurt by going undrafted. Cook was able to assess where he might fit in best, and he signed a free agent deal with the New York Jets on Monday.

By the time NFL teams sort out their rosters at the end of August, we will have a better idea where the former USC players stand.

Until then, USC can use this year’s draft as a recruiting tool, and Gamecocks fans can begin to recognize that Spurrier is bringing in SEC-caliber talent.

Listen to Morris Tuesdays from 4-5 p.m. on ESPN Radio 93.1 FM.