Darnold shines at a rainy USC pro day

LOS ANGELES — Sam Darnold knew the rain was coming, but he wouldn’t budge. After bowing out of throwing drills at the NFL scouting combine earlier this month, the Southern California quarterback knew he’d invited additional scrutiny for his pro day. With showers in Wednesday’s forecast, Darnold had to confront the fact that he might not enjoy the idyllic conditions most other prospects have at their school-specific showcases.

Yet rather than move up his session to the early portion of the morning, when it was dry, Darnold chose to hold firm and face the elements.

“I don’t think it would have been fair to change up the schedule for all the guys training for the pro day, so I just wanted my guys to be comfortable. That was first and foremost,” he said. “But I also think it was the perfect opportunity to show teams I can throw in the rain.”

When Darnold began throwing, he faced the same overcast skies that had lingered for most of the morning. But after several minutes, a driving rain began and left the Trojans star to labor in a waterlogged hat and long-sleeve shirt. But though the slippery ball proved difficult to haul in for an assortment of receivers (largely made up of players other than Darnold’s familiar USC targets), he was consistently precise in his placement, including on several deep throws.

While maintaining a quiet confidence, Darnold has eschewed the kind of proclamations about his rightful place in this draft class that fellow quarterbacks Josh Rosen and Baker Mayfield have made. Yet with his pro day performance, Darnold reinforced that — five weeks out from the start of Round 1 — he looks like the front-runner to be the No. 1 overall pick.

Decision makers from every team in the top three of the draft were on hand, including Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson and general manager John Dorsey, New York Giants coach Pat Shurmur and offensive coordinator Mike Shula, and New York Jets coach Todd Bowles, general manager Mike Maccagnan and offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates. Darnold said he met with the Browns and Giants earlier this week, and Cleveland owner Jimmy Haslam, whose team selects first and fourth overall, spoke with the quarterback’s parents in the bleachers during Wednesday’s session.

Darnold’s self-admitted red flag is ball security. He tied for the Football Bowl Subdivision high with 22 turnovers last season.