Alabama Crimson Tide

2017 Rose Bowl: 5 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:35 p.m. ET

Fansided, Stephen Forsha/FanSided via NFL Spin Zone

The 2017 Rose Bowl goes down on Monday afternoon, so we look at the five best 2017 NFL Draft prospects between USC and Penn State.

On Monday afternoon, the Big Ten Champion Penn State Nittany Lions will go to battle with the red-hot USC Trojans. You guessed it, it’s the 2017 Rose Bowl coming to town. And with two storied programs facing off, you bet there is a ton of 2017 NFL Draft talent on the docket.

That said, Penn State has talent, but most of them are underclassmen. Even still, there are two PSU players who really need to be remembered this offseason. The Trojans have players on both sides of the ball who will have their names called this April, but they also have two players who have received first-round projections as juniors if they decide to leave college a year early.

This game has the chance to be exciting, with both teams ending their seasons on high notes. Penn State makes adjustments in the second half of games that are second to none, but USC also has some firepower on both sides of the ball that will make winning this game difficult for their opponent, too.

USC is officially a seven-point favorite over Penn State. But if you do want to bet on anything in this game, it’s that the five players listed will be names to remember for your team when the 2017 NFL Draft takes place.

October 8, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) reacts during the 21-17 victory against the Colorado Buffaloes at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

5. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR — USC

It will be interesting to see how well JuJu Smith-Schuster plays in the Rose Bowl since he’s battling a cold this past week, but if he’s up to his usual self, the junior wide receiver could show why he’s being graded as a first-round talent.

Smith-Schuster enters the Rose Bowl with 63 receptions for 781 yards and nine touchdown receptions. For his collegiate career with the Trojans, he’s totaled 206 receptions for 2,959 yards and 24 touchdowns.

The wide receiver for USC has three games this season where he’s totaled over 100 yards in receiving, all coming in three straight weeks from Oct. 1-15 against Arizona State, Colorado and Arizona.

Since then, his numbers have been down with no game total higher than 76 yards receiving, which happened on Nov. 19 against UCLA in a game where he had eight receptions. Part of the decline in his production was he’s battled many injuries this season. Joey Kaufman of dailynews.com wrote about those injuries:

“This season, Smith-Schuster dealt with a myriad of injuries to his hip, shoulder, back, wrist and pinkie, which was dislocated in training camp. He was sidelined for extended portions of wins against Arizona, Oregon and UCLA in the second half of the season, but did not miss a game.”

What about the potential for Smith-Schuster in joining the NFL this April? It isn’t a sure thing, as Tony Pauline of Draft Analyst wrote about how USC is trying to keep him one final season:

“USC is putting in an all out blitz to keep their top underclassmen, promising insurance policies to protect against loss of value. Program officials hope this may reel JuJu Smith-Schuster back in and the belief is he’s rethinking his options.”

Being that Smith-Schuster is listed at 6-2, 220 pounds, so he does have the build to take an NFL-type hit, resulting in him being a valuable player in the first or even early second round. The combine will be big for him—as will the Rose Bowl—if he chooses to declare.

4. Adoree’ Jackson, CB — USC

It is all but a lock that Adoree’ Jackson is going to leave a year early and enter the NFL Draft, and for good reason. Listed at 5-11, 185 pounds, Jackson has 51 tackles and four interceptions as one of the top defensive backs on the Trojans.

He’s graded best by his ESPN Insider draft profile on instincts and recognition and is said that he “does a good job of getting underneath the ‘pick’ on rub routes,” according to the ESPN Insider draft profile, as he does have a 4.33-second 40-yard dash time on his resumé.

Speaking of his draft prospects, he’s currently a first-round graded player by CBS Sports, as they have him as the fifth-ranked cornerback and 28th overall rated player. Jackson is one of the most athletic players in the Rose Bowl, as he’s also had snaps as a wide receiver in his USC career, plus he’s also a good returner on special teams.

Though he’s very solid at defensive back, it is his special teams play that could be his breakout in the Rose Bowl, and Penn State knows that. Jackson could be the most memorable player in the Rose Bowl, and if so, you can make sure NFL teams will take note of his overall ability to be a game changer with various roles on a football field.

Sep 3, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; USC USC Trojans offensive tackle Chad Wheeler (72) in action during the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at AT&T Stadium. Alabama defeats USC 52-6. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

3. Chad Wheeler, OT — USC

A third player from USC is on this list, though he won’t show up on the stat sheet, in offensive tackle Chad Wheeler. Listed at 6-6, 310 pounds, Wheeler grades best in durability, according to his ESPN Insider draft profile, but he’s also solid with pass protection and run blocking. The big man on the edge of the line has been a big factor in the Trojans’ offense for a while now and has been effective in college. He’s far from a perfect NFL prospect, but has tools that make him enticing.

Right now, CBS Sports has Wheeler as a third- or fourth-round projected player (the 10th-ranked tackle), but he’s been a part of an offensive line where on 472 rushing plays, the running backs of the Trojans have totaled 2,487 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. His pass blocking has helped a USC quarterback duo pass for a total of 3,140 yards.

Wheeler has had some off-the-field issues involving law authorities. But on the field, he’s a solid player that NFL teams will certainly be interested in. He’ll bring a good value to any team that drafts him, but he’ll have at least one final chance to impress in the Rose Bowl.

Dec 3, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Chris Godwin (12) runs against the Wisconsin Badgers during the Big Ten Championship college football game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

2. Chris Godwin, WR — Penn State

Being one of the main players to help lead the Nittany Lions to the Big Ten championship, Godwin is listed at 6-1, 205 pounds. He’s currently a mid-round projection by CBS Sports, as this season Godwin has 50 receptions for 795 yards and nine touchdowns.

Godwin averages 15.9 yards per reception this season, and this season he had two games where he collected over 100 yards receiving in a game. His most recent 100-plus yard game came on Nov. 26 against Michigan State, where on five receptions he totaled 135 yards and two touchdowns. That game, he averaged 27.0 ypc.

The Penn State wide receiver is a fourth- to fifth-round projected player and is the 20th-ranked overall wide receiver. If he can play well against a team like USC, Godwin could raise his draft stock, and if he doesn’t, he can always go back to Penn State for his senior season. This will be a big game for Godwin if he wants to gain attention from NFL scouts.

There is no doubt he’ll be drafted by an NFL team this April if he declares, but the question remains: does he want one final year of work at the collegiate level to improve his draft status, or will he leave PSU after this game?

Dec 3, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Brandon Bell (11) catches the confetti after the game against the Wisconsin Badgers during the Big Ten Championship college football game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Penn State defeats Wisconsin 38-31. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

1. Brandon Bell, OLB — Penn State

Bell rings in as the 17th-rated outside linebacker for April’s NFL Draft, and being listed at 6-1, 233 pounds, the senior has done nothing but improve his overall play this season once he returned after suffering a leg injury and missing four games.

He didn’t get to play against Michigan (which was one of the two Penn State losses), but when he returned on Oct. 22 against the Ohio State Buckeyes, he totaled 18 tackles (seven solo), one sack and one pass defensed in a game where PSU handed the Buckeyes their first loss of the season.

Since that game, Bell has collected three games of double-digit tackles, including another 18-tackle game against Michigan State and 13 tackles in the Big Ten Championship game against the Wisconsin Badgers.

For the season, Bell has 87 tackles, four sacks, three passes defensed and one interception in nine games.

Bell might not be the best outside linebacker in this draft, but he could be undervalued, too. Some of these ranked ahead of him are Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers (No. 1 ranked OLB), and near him are Tyus Bowser of Houston and Calvin Munson of San Diego State.

Another solid effort by Bell in this game, and if he plays in the Senior Bowl, could help raise the draft ranking of Bell. If he plays like he has his past two games against a team like USC, he’ll be able to make his name more memorable this offseason.