USC's Vorhees overwhelmed by post-injury response

USC held its pro day Tuesday, with representatives from all 32 teams present to watch the Trojans' NFL prospects test and perform drills.

But one of the Trojans' top prospects, offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees, was unable to participate.

Vorhees injured his knee during the NFL Combine on March 5. The day of the injury didn't feel so bad, so he hoped he had avoided any worst-case scenario.

The next day, he was informed he had torn his ACL.

But two hours later, Vorhees appeared on crutches at the bench press platform. Unable to properly stabilize himself with the injured leg, Vorhees still benched 225 pounds 38 times, the most of any prospect at this year's combine.

The moment quickly went viral, with people throughout the football world, including former All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt, marveling at Vorhees' heart.

“I was not expecting the response I got,” Vorhees told reporters Tuesday. “I didn't realize it was going to be this big of a deal. I think one of the coolest things about the whole response was so many kids reaching out to me saying how inspiring I am to them who are going through the same injury.”

And he still maintains that he would have done more than 38 reps if not for the injury.

Vorhees' operation is scheduled for next week, and he hopes to be cleared to return to play sometime during the fall. Prior to the injury, he was projected as a second-round pick after being named a first-team AllAmerican by the Associated Press as a senior.

Vorhees said said he's spoken with several teams, including the Commanders and Broncos, and teams have expressed interest in him at guard and tackle.

Dye feeling healthy

USC's pro day was plagued by the consistent rain that has battered Los Angeles the past couple of days. The resulting soggy field led players like running back Travis Dye to disregard the times they received on 40-yard dashes and other drills.

“Every time I stuck my foot down it felt like I was running in mud,” Dye said.

The good news for Dye was that he is feeling healthy again after breaking the fibula in his left ankle in November. Dye had surgery to insert a plate onto the broken bone, but no ligaments were damaged in the injury.

“I'm feeling 100%, perfectly fine right now,” Dye said. “If we made it the playoffs, I wanted to push it to see if I could come back.”

Dye said he has spoken with the 49ers and Packers among other teams and is scheduled for a local pro day with the Chargers.

Addison, Tuipulotu open to any role

Receiver Jordan Addison is the only Trojan projected to be a first-round selection next month, and he was happy to share his opinion on how he should be ranked among 2023 prospects.

“I know I'm the best wide receiver in this draft,” Addison said. “What I can do, I can come into any system and perform really well early. I can play any position on the field. I can run any route, intermediate, shallow, deep. And then if you take away all football related stuff, I'm just a great person.”

Addison said he has spoken to a lot of teams, most recently the Giants, who have the 25th overall pick. Teams have asked him about playing inside or out, but he said he would be happy with either role.

Defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu had similar sentiments about his future. At 6-foot-3, his NFL position has always been up for debate. But since he changed his diet to prepare for the draft, Tuipulotu's weight has dropped from its listed 290 pounds during his junior season to 266.

Tuipulotu moved around the defensive front throughout his USC career, and expressed willingness to do the same at the next level.