2018 NFL Draft: Sam Darnold could pass on leaving school early
2018 NFL Draft: According to Benjamin Allbright’s sources at USC, Sam Darnold could be returning to USC for another season in 2018…
If I had told you at the beginning of the college football season that the most likely quarterback to return to school for another year would be Sam Darnold, you’d have called me crazy.
Darnold was fresh off of a magical Rose Bowl performance against Penn State, one which earned him a ton of hype over the course of the 2017 offseason.
Heck, Jets fans were even customizing jerseys with his name on the back.
Now, it seems like Darnold may not even be available to the Jets or anyone else in the 2018 NFL Draft, if Benjamin Allbright’s sources prove to be correct:
Darnold has still been projected by many to be the top quarterback selected despite a rough season so far in 2017. USC is fresh off of a blowout loss to Notre Dame, and Darnold was the subject of a ton of criticism after the game.
Perhaps rightly so…
Throwing the ball to the wrong team has been an issue for Darnold this season. He had nine interceptions in 13 games all of last year, his first as a starter. This season, he has 10 interceptions through eight games, in addition to fumbling the ball three times in one game this season.
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Simply put, Darnold is not doing enough right now to warrant top draft pick consideration, even if you are just projecting that he will become exactly what you thought he could become prior to the start of the year.
There’s no doubt that Darnold has the work ethic and physical traits to be an NFL quarterback, but there’s nothing wrong with him going back to school for another season. In fact, he probably needs it.
With USC’s loss to Notre Dame, they’re not likely to compete for a National Title this year so that would be another incentive for Darnold to return to school.
He’s only a redshirt sophomore this year, so there’s plenty of time for him to right the ship. Even Andrew Luck stayed through his redshirt junior season.
Like it did with Luck, I want to see the game slow down a little bit for Darnold before he decides to declare himself eligible for the NFL. He could go to the NFL, get his feet wet early, and learn on the job, but going back to USC for another season allows NFL teams to make a much more solid investment in someone that could determine the franchise’s future.