November 10, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Robert Woods (2) runs the ball against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Height:  6’0″

Weight:  201 pounds

Drafted By: Buffalo Bills (2nd round, 41st overall)

40 Yard Dash:  4.51

Vertical Jump: 33.5″

Broad Jump:  117″

Career Stats

Scouting Report/Player Notes

Woods is one of the most dynamic playmakers in the country at the wide receiver position, and could be a top 15 pick in 2013. He doesn’t have ideal elite size like an Andre Johnson or Calvin Johnson, but he plays bigger than his listed height and is a really tough player to cover. He has incredible quickness in and out of his breaks, and is typically a sure-handed target. There were four games in 2011 where Woods went over 10 receptions, and it was pretty much an outlier if he was at five or under. One of Woods’ best assets is his ability to make plays after the catch. He is almost unstoppable when near the red zone, and finds ways to get open despite being the team’s top receiver. Woods got a start as a freshman in 2010 as a return specialist as well, and he has upside in that area going forward. He is a very good kick returner. One of my biggest concerns with Woods is his weight. I don’t know if he’s added weight this offseason at all, but I am not sure 185-190 is going to be acceptable in the NFL. Despite that fact, I think he has a ton of upside and is a dynamic receiver who catches pretty much anything thrown his way. He really does an incredible job of adjusting to balls in the air, and USC uses him in a variety of ways. I like that they are able to get him the ball with space to move, which some NFL team will also likely do when he gets drafted. He doesn’t have any one skill that really stands out, but he is a really good receiver who has potential to be a Reggie Wayne type of player in the NFL.

Career Highlights (via USC athletics site)

CAREER: In his career, he has 176 catches for 2,084 yards (11.8 avg.) with 21 TDs, 55 kickoff returns for 1,364 yards (24.8 avg.) with 1 TD, 14 punt returns for 122 yards (8.7 avg.) and 13 carries for 76 yards (5.8 avg.). He has 3,646 all-purpose yards on 258 plays (14.1 avg.). He ranks fourth on USC’s career kickoff return list (1,364 yards) and tied for sixth on the career pass catching ladder (176 receptions). He has 9 100-yard receiving games in his career, including twice with 200 yards (joining Keyshawn Johnson and Dwayne Jarrett as the only Trojans to have done that), and 5 career outings with double digit receptions. He has 25 career starts.

Video Highlights (via YouTube)

Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

+Strength
+Physical route runner
+Great run blocker
+Good balance
+Decent change of direction skills

Negatives:

-Not too fast
-Constantly traps passes against his frame
-Poor hands
-Can’t create yards after the catch
-Not very quick

I’m not too high on USC receiver Robert Woods. I think that, for the most part, he is a product of a poor wide receiver class (the seniors are awful, the juniors are average). I feel like that, if he is a first round pick, it will be a result of the poor wide receivers from this year’s class. I’d say 2, maybe 3 wide receivers from this draft class are truly worthy of a first round pick. Woods isn’t horrible, but he’s not worthy of a first round pick.

Woods has mediocre measurables. He has average height at 6’1, poor bulk at 184lbs, and average speed for size with a 4.47 40 yard dash. That’s one of my main problems with Woods. Guys who are 6’1, skinny, and run a 4.47 40 grow on trees in the NFL. They’re all over the place. Physically, Woods doesn’t bring anything special or even above average to the table, which is a big concern for me.

Woods has excellent stats. In 2010, as a true freshman, he had 65 catches for 792 yards and 6 touchdowns. In 2011, he had 111 catches for 1292 yards and 15 touchdowns. However, I think his stats are extremely misleading. I’ve never seen a receiver who is targeted as frequently as Woods on bubble screens (something I think is underrated). Bubble screens, often to Woods, are an important part of USC’s offense (a part that I love). But bubble screens don’t tell the true story of the skill of a receiver statistically. Getting a reception on a bubble screen is pretty easy. But here is the thing with Woods; if you throw out the Arizona game (a statistical anomaly) and the 4 catches he had that went for more than 40 yards last season, you are left with a receiver who’s yards per catch is 9.1. 9.1! He makes 2-6 yard catches on bubble screens with unbelievable frequency, but they aren’t a good representation of skill. There are lots of receivers who could put up his kind of stats if they played on a team that uses as many bubble screens as USC. Yards per catch definitely isn’t everything, but, watching him play, I feel like his stats are inflated by all the easy plays he makes. But, still, Woods has good stats.

Woods has awful hands (at least by a receiver’s standards). He probably has the worst hands of any receiver in this draft class. He constantly traps passes against his frame and I’ve seen him drop plenty of passes. He also has no awareness of the sideline. However, he can make catches in traffic and has solid leaping ability When I see a receiver trapping passes against his frame, it usually means one of two things; it’s either a lack of focus (Roddy White), or the result of very, very small hands (Torrey Smith). I’m leaning toward the latter, since I can’t help but notice that Woods has better results when trapping passes against his frame. A majority of his drops are on passes he tried to catch with proper fundamentals, so I’m leaning toward the idea of small hands (which, unlike focus, cannot be changed). Regardless, Woods’ hands and tendency to trap passes against his frame are major red flags.

Woods can’t create yards after the catch. It seems odd considering that he is so frequently targeted on bubble screens, but the main reason for that is the fact that even though USC has excellent receivers, none of them are good at creating yards after the catch. The fact is, Woods has very little quickness in the open field, he takes a long time to reach top speed, he has no shiftiness or change of direction skills in the open field, and his vision is average at best. However, his above average strength and power allow him to at least create yards after contact (meaning fall forward as he gets tackled), and he has excellent balance.

Woods is an average route runner. He is very stiff, lacking suddenness in his cuts, he doesn’t incorporate many head fakes into his routes, and he isn’t a quick twitch athlete. He’s too stiff for a traditional square cut and he has to chop his feet before changing directions. However, for what he lacks in quickness he makes up for with strength. Woods is among the most physical receivers I have ever seen. He has mastered techniques such as the “push him by” technique (meaning pushing the defender as you break the stem of your route). Many of these techniques are also known as “offensive pass interference” unless you hide them well. That’s exactly what Woods does. The techniques he uses are illegal (such as rub/pick routes, which involve a wide receiver “accidentally” running into a defender covering one of his teammates similar to setting a screen in basketball), but he usually can usually make sure the ref doesn’t see it or make it look like an accident (Michael Irvin was really good with those techniques). It’s pretty fun to watch. However, in basketball, they say that “teams that press (apply full court pressure) don’t like to be pressed.” Same is true for Woods. He loves to be physical, but he hates it when a defender gets physical. More than anything, he struggles to get a clean release against press coverage (his strength is tremendous for a 180lb receiver, but he is still a 180lb receiver). Still, even though he lacks quickness, he makes up for it with his old school physicality.

Woods is an intense run blocker. He has long arms and tremendous strength relative to his size (only average strength; remember, he’s 184lbs), he plays with ideal on field intensity, he has tremendous awareness as a run blocker, and he uses ideal blocking fundamentals. I have no reason to believe his character is anything less than stellar, considering how intense he is on the field and his clean record off the field, bur he occasionally struggles to keep his composure when dealing with adversity. Woods is an above average run blocker right now and will only improve as he adds the bulk that he so desperately needs.

Ultimately, I don’t think too much of Woods. I think that he is mostly the product of a weak draft class for wide receivers. He simply doesn’t impress much on film.

NFL Comparison: Either Justin Blackmon with poor hands or Torrey Smith/Roddy White with less speed.

Grade: 88 (worthy of an early second round pick)

Projection: 96 (will be a mid to early first round pick)

Nov 26, 2011; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley (7) and receiver Robert Woods (2) react after a touchdown against the UCLA Bruins at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC defeated UCLA 50-0. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

NFL Mocks is getting ready for another year of scouting. Look out.

We are kicking off this Spring/Summer with the USC Trojans, who are projected to be one of the best young teams in the country. The Trojans have a dynamic offensive attack and a young but very talented defensive unit. They might not have a ton of top NFL prospects eligible for the 2013 NFL Draft, but they are definitely top heavy with a Heisman candidate at Quarterback and an exciting receiver. Here we go!

7 Matt Barkley, Quarterback, Senior  6’2″ 230 pounds

Barkley has been a celebrity at USC ever since he signed on to play for the Trojans, and what a career it’s been for him. He had a fantastic junior season, in which he really out-played a couple of Heisman candidates. At the end of last season, I think the Trojans were playing the NCAA’s version of the role that the Giants played in the NFL, where they were just white hot at the end of last year. Barkley was a huge reason why. His leadership, poise, moxie, and overall football intelligence are very impressive to me. Barkley has a chance to be the number one pick in the draft this year, and I think there’s a really good shot of that happening. He has a strong arm, makes smart plays, and like I said before–the intangibles are there in spades. Barkley will come into the NFL with something pretty rare, especially at a college like USC–he will have four years of starting experience, barring injury. His ability to make plays is uncanny, and he doesn’t just lock in on one receiver. Barkley has a pair of dynamic weapons in junior Robert Woods and sophomore Marquise Hill, and both had over 1,000 yards in 2011. Last year, Barkley completed over 69 percent of his passes with an outstanding TD/INT ratio of 39:7. The thing I’m most impressed by is the fact that Barkley chose to return to school. He could have been a top three to five pick in the 2012 draft, but he chose to finish at USC what he intended to go there for in the first place–end with a championship victory. Barkley has never played in the college postseason. We don’t know what he’s made of in bowl game situations. All we know is that Barkley has grown and matured as a prospect to a height that not many players get to see. He is a big time QB prospect with all the tools to play right away in the NFL, and I think he could be a star someday. He is a humble, down to earth kid living a dream at USC. He has a really bright future ahead of him.

22 Curtis McNeal, Running Back, Senior  5’7″ 190 pounds

McNeal won’t time with blazing speed at the Combine (or maybe he will) but he is a very intriguing running back prospect. He is very short but has a good build for a guy his size, and he is willing to got up the gut and play a physical game. He doesn’t have elite speed comparable to to that of a smaller back like Chris Rainey, but he can definitely make people miss and is quick to the hole. In his first year as the featured back, he ran for 1,005 yards and six touchdowns, averaging nearly seven yards per carry in the process. He is quick to the hole and is very tough to bring down in the open field because he is so low to the ground and is much more powerful than you would expect. I am interested to see if his game translates to the NFL, because he appears to be headed on the right track. One area where he will hopefully get more exposure is in the passing game. Last year, he only had three receptions for 19 yards. Redshirted as a freshman in 2008, and was academically ineligible in 2010 after playing some as a reshirt freshman in 2009. He is a threat to take any play the distance every time he touches the ball, and had runs of 43, 44, 61, 73, and 79 yards. Very interesting player who could be had in the mid-late rounds simply because of his size.

2 Robert Woods, Wide Receiver, Junior  6’1″ 190 pounds

Woods is one of the most dynamic playmakers in the country at the wide receiver position, and could be a top 15 pick in 2013. He doesn’t have ideal elite size like an Andre Johnson or Calvin Johnson, but he plays bigger than his listed height and is a really tough player to cover. He has incredible quickness in and out of his breaks, and is typically a sure-handed target. There were four games in 2011 where Woods went over 10 receptions, and it was pretty much an outlier if he was at five or under. One of Woods’ best assets is his ability to make plays after the catch. He is almost unstoppable when near the red zone, and finds ways to get open despite being the team’s top receiver. Woods got a start as a freshman in 2010 as a return specialist as well, and he has upside in that area going forward. He is a very good kick returner. One of my biggest concerns with Woods is his weight. I don’t know if he’s added weight this offseason at all, but I am not sure 185-190 is going to be acceptable in the NFL. Despite that fact, I think he has a ton of upside and is a dynamic receiver who catches pretty much anything thrown his way. He really does an incredible job of adjusting to balls in the air, and USC uses him in a variety of ways. I like that they are able to get him the ball with space to move, which some NFL team will also likely do when he gets drafted. He doesn’t have any one skill that really stands out, but he is a really good receiver who has potential to be a Reggie Wayne type of player in the NFL.

78 Khaled Holmes, Offensive Lineman, Senior  6’4″ 305 pounds

Holmes is considered one of the top senior interior line prospects in the country going into 2012. He started all of 2010 at right guard for the Trojans and is entering his second straight year as the starting center in 2012. Holmes was named to the 2nd team All-Pac-12 team last year, and did a great job after making the transition to center. Also an Academic All-American candidate who will anchor the Trojans’ front line. Pre-season Outland Trophy watch list name to look out for and a guy who could gain a ton of exposure this year as the starting center who snaps to one of the best QBs in the country.

96 Wes Horton, Defensive End, Senior  6’5″ 265 pounds

The first thing that stands out to me about Horton is his great size. 6’5″ 265 is already pretty ideal size for a speed rushing defensive end, but he has the type of frame that he can grow into and become a powerful force at the next level. Looks like he has really good quickness off the snap, and uses his length to bull rush offensive linemen. He will have to develop some other moves in the NFL to get past bigger, more powerful offensive linemen. Definitely has the tools to be a very good pass rusher, but only eight sacks in his career so far. With Nick Perry headed to the NFL, Horton will have a chance to shine. Plays both on the strong and weak side, and also has played standing up in a two-point stance. I don’t really see him as an outside linebacker at the next level, but he will certainly have experience standing up. Dropping in coverage is another story. Does a really good job lowering his shoulder coming off the edge and displays really natural pass rushing skills. He could be poised for a huge breakout season in 2012 if he can stay healthy.

42 Devon Kennard, Defensive End, Senior  6’3″ 260 pounds

Originally started his career at USC as a defensive end, then started at middle linebacker, and then moved back to defensive end in 2011. He has a lot of upside in this area, but he needs to have a productive senior year if he wants to be picked in the first two days of the draft. He has really good size to play either defensive end position in a 4-3 scheme, and because of his experience playing middle linebacker, he also has scheme versatility to play in a 3-4 as an outside rush linebacker. If he can show substantial increase in his pass rush skills, he could very well be a second day pick. Playing at USC, he will have plenty of opportunities to show his skills as USC likely will be playing most games with a huge lead. Really has good instincts and may honestly be the best fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker working downhill.

14 Isiah Wiley, Cornerback, Senior  6’0″ 185 pounds

There is not a ton of information out there right now about Wiley, but I think there will be. He is a very talented football player who will enter his senior season as his first full year as a starter for the Trojans. He started the final six games of 2011 after seeing most of his action on special teams, but he showcased some very promising ability. Has the size and versatility to double as a safety in the NFL, and was an All-American at Arizona Western Junior College. He should emerge this year as a draftable cornerback prospect, perhaps even one of the better ones in the country.

29 Jawanza Starling, Safety, Senior  6’1″ 200 pounds

Starling is one of USC’s top workout warriors and should really impress at the team’s pro day, but he is a little bit better at working out than he is staying on the field. Unfortunately, the talented Starling has had some problems with injuries throughout his career, but he has started for USC for three years which carries some serious weight for me. I think Starling has upside as a special teams player in the NFL and could develop into a decent starting safety. Had 48 tackles, 3.5 for loss, and two fumble recoveries in 2011 and should build off of that progress this year.

7 T.J. McDonald, Safety, Senior  6’3″ 205

All-American safety who returns for his senior year after potentially entering the 2012 draft and being a first round pick. He is a pre-season Thorpe Award watch list candidate and is one of the best defensive backs in the entire class of 2013. He is a really good size/speed combination guy, and is really good at diagnosing plays. He has six interceptions over the last couple of years and is continually getting better at playing the ball in the air. Has the ability to hit like a ton of bricks. Good football bloodline as his father was a captain and All-American at USC. McDonald was also a captain of USC’s football team last year, and likely will be in the same role in 2012. Really good working downhill, and will continue to get better playing in a downhill role.

Simply put, Barkley has looked and played like a top five draft pick over the course of this season, and on a national stage the last two weeks. He looks like an NFL quarterback out there picking apart opposing defenses, and while he still has plenty to learn he is the type of guy that is going to come in to the NFL next season (or 2013 if he chooses the BCS over the NFL) and make an instant impact.

In my opinion, Barkley is a much better prospect than USC quarterbacks before him like Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and most recently, Mark Sanchez. He has excellent mechanics, moxie, and is a good athlete. He’s a smart kid who is always improving.

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The USC Trojans had a seven point lead on Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal, and the way their defense had been pressuring the quarterback, it seemed like a win was within reach.

Not so fast, my friends.

Stanford got a huge penalty called in their favor, setting them up with fantastic field position and a chance to tie the game. It was the running game that has given the Cardinal their truly unstoppable offense all season, and of course it was Stepfan Taylor who rumbled into the end zone from two yards out on a huge drive by the Cardinal to tie the game at 34.

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The Stanford Cardinal are set to travel to Los Angeles to take on the USC Trojans on ABC in prime time, one of the first times this season that Stanford will be truly tested.

USC is 6-1 and fresh off of a victory against Notre Dame on the road, and they boast arguably the nation’s top passing duo with Matt Barkley and sophomore receiver Robert Woods. The two have hooked up 72 times this season, eight for touchdowns including a couple of highlight reel plays against the Irish.

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It’s going to be critical for Barkley and company to make sure they maintain focus for this game without looking forward to their next two games against Notre Dame and Stanford, two games that will determine the rest of their season, in all likelihood.

As always, USC is flooded with kids who are capable of playing in the NFL, but as of right now, many of them are still youngsters. Aside from their junior signal caller, the most dynamic playmaker the Trojans feature offensively is 19 year old sophomore Robert Woods, a 6’1″ 180 pound receiver out of Carson, California.

Woods has 55 catches for 747 yards this season, second and third in the country, respectively. His six touchdowns also lead the Trojans, and he should have another huge game on Thursday with a relatively soft Cal defense (as we saw last week vs. Oregon).

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