TROJAN COURSE
Darnold try to snap string of disappointing USC QBs
Sometime shortly after 8 p.m. on Thursday, USC quarterback Sam Darnold will make that dream walk toward commissioner Roger Goodell on a stage at AT&T Stadium as he’s selected in the first round of the NFL draft.
And, regardless of which team picks Darnold — the Browns, Giants or Jets are his most l i kely l anding spots — he’ll immediately be faced with this sobering question: Can he finally be the one USC quarterback who becomes a star in the NFL after an uncanny succession of predecessors who failed to do so?
It’ll be an unfair question for Darnold to answer, because he’s his own person, his own player. He’s not Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez or any of the other highly touted quarterbacks from his school who struggled with the transition to the NFL.
But, until Darnold excels, it’s a dubious label that will never be far from his side when he’s judged by the unforgiving outside world.
Darnold will be the 14th USC quarterback drafted into the NFL, joining Matt Cassel, Matt Barkley and Cody Kessler, who are currently on NFL rosters.
He’ll become the fourth USC quarterback in the past 15 years to be drafted in the first round, joining Carson Palmer (No. 1 overall to the Bengals in 2003), Leinart (No. 10 to the Cardinals in 2006) and Sanchez (No. 5 to the Jets in 2009).
Of t he previous three f irst-rounders, only Palmer had what you would call a successful — if unfulfilled — NFL career, playing 14 seasons and starting 181 games. But even Palmer, who retired after last season, barely had a winning record (92-88-1) and played in just four playoff games, with a 1-3 record.
Leinart is the poster child as the USC quarterback bust. After winning a Heisman Trophy and two national championships at USC, he started just 18 NFL games, going 8-10, and became known more for his offthe-field partying (think boozy hot-tub par- ties) than anything he did on the field.
Sanchez is more of an enigma because he was a part of Jets teams that went to the AFC Championship game in each of his first two seasons, 2009 and 2010. Despite the Jets’ strength being their defense in those seasons, Sanchez had some of his best performances in the biggest moments and had a 4-2 postseason record as a starter. But it never got better after 2010. Sanchez, currently a free agent without a team and facing a four-game suspension at the start of 2018 for violating the league’s banned substance policy, is coming off short stints with the Eagles, Broncos, Cowboys and Bears in the past three seasons. He has a 37-35 record in 72 career starts, but is 18-23 since those first two seasons and has started just 10 games in the past three years.
Among the other USC quarterbacks drafted in recent years, Cassel, who was a seventh-round pick in 2005, has a 36-45 record as a starter, Barkley, a fourth-round pick in 2013, is 1-5 in his six starts, and Kessler, a third-round pick in 2016, is 0-8.
Of the 13 USC quarterbacks drafted since 1980, none has won more than 51.7 percent of his starts and just four have started more than 29 games.
So, what gives? Why haven’t USC quarterbacks been more successful in the NFL — particularly the highly touted first-round picks?
It’s a question not easily answered, because there aren’t a lot of common denominators among them. But The Post spoke to a cross-section of people around the NFL in search of theories.
“With all picks, you have to understand there’s a difference between a bad pick and bust,’’ a high-ranking NFL player personnel executive said. “If Myles Garrett [picked first overall by the Browns last season] doesn’t pan out, that’s a bust, because there’s not one person that wouldn’t [have] taken Myles Garrett.’’
Asked whether Leinart was a bust or a bad pick, the executive said, “I’d say that’s a bad pick. I don’t think Matt Leinart should have been picked that high. ... Leinart was not a mentally tough kid. He played on a really, really good football team.’’ Sanchez? “I would say that was a bad pick, not a bust,’’ the executive said. “He went to that [Jets] team that was veteran-heavy and was a strong team that ran the ball
and played defense. When Sanchez had to take the next step … he never got better.’’
A current NFL head coach wondered aloud whether some of the USC quarterbacks peaked in college.
“Those guys are all talented, because [USC] is getting the top guys in the country,’’ the coach said. “I wonder how much better do they get once they get to USC? Are they just surrounded by good athletes? They’ve always had the best recruits in the country.’’
Keyshawn Johnson, who played at USC and was drafted by the Jets in the first round in 1996, said he believes the failures of some of the USC quarterbacks had more to do with circumstance — who they were drafted by and what system they inherited.
“Sanchez played for a defensiveminded coach [Rex Ryan],’’ Johnson said. “When you’re playing for a defensive-minded coach, you’re never going to develop as a quarterback. With Leinart and Mark Sanchez, the system failed them more than they failed the system.’’
ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay theorized that perhaps the USC quar- terbacks have their weakness masked by superior rosters.
“With Leinart and Sanchez, they were overrated because they had so much talent around them in college,’’ McShay said. “Those were some of the best rosters in college football when those guys were there. So the quarterback was put in a good position.’’ Will Darnold be different? McShay and fellow ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. believe so.
“Darnold lost three offensive linemen to the NFL [in 2017], JuJu SmithSchuster was the best rookie receiver in the NFL last season, and he still winds up going 20-4 as a starter at USC,’’ McShay said.
“I like Darnold,’’ Kiper said. “I’d be surprised if he’s a bust. But he’s got to recreate what we saw two years ago [when he had his best season with 31 touchdown passes and just nine interceptions]. If he can get back to what we saw two years ago, Sam Darnold can be a great quarterback. If we don’t and he continues on this path [22 turnovers last season], he’s going to be a bust.’’