USC’s Darnold, UCLA’s Rosen entering draft

Quarterbacks from Southern California and UCLA announced Wednesday that they are leaving school early to enter the NFL draft.

Sam Darnold of USC made his announcement in an Instagram video about 25 minutes after UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen announced he will enter the draft. Both are expected to be high firstround selections in April.

They join a group of quarterback prospects that includes Mason Rudolph of Oklahoma State and the past two Heisman Trophy winners, Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma and Lamar Jackson of Louisville. The Cleveland Browns have the first and fourth overall picks in the draft, and a quarterback is among their needs.

Darnold became a starter four games into last season as a redshirt freshman. He won the Rose Bowl in his first season with a record 453yard, five-touchdown performance against Penn State, and he led the Trojans to their first Pac-12 championship since 2008 this season. His career ended Friday with a 24-7 loss to Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

Rosen has been the Bruins’ starter the past three seasons, playing in 30 games after missing half of his sophomore season because of injuries. In his statement, Rosen promised his mother that he’ll return to Westwood to finish his degree.

Gruden: ‘Good chance’ he’ll coach Raiders

Jon Gruden said he had a good talk with Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis about returning to the organization for a second stint as coach and believes there is a “good chance” it will happen.

Gruden gave an interview to ESPN Radio to discuss his pursuit of the Raiders job that opened when Jack Del Rio was fired after a six-win season.

“It’s been a long couple of weeks,” Gruden said. “I know they’ve gone through their process of interviewing candidates and until they’re done I won’t know. I did have a good meeting with Mark. I’ve known him a long time and got a lot of respect for the Raiders football organization.”

Gruden has been out of coaching the past nine years while serving as an analyst for “Monday Night Football.”

Vrabel interviews for Lions coach

The Detroit Lions have interviewed Houston Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel for their coaching position.

The Lions announced the interview two days after coach Jim Caldwell was fired. Vrabel, a former Ohio State linebacker and assistant coach, took over as defensive coordinator in 2017 after three seasons as Houston’s linebackers coach.