Sam Darnold struggles in season finale; NFL on deck?
Expectations for Sam Darnold have been incredibly high all year, and against Ohio State, he struggled. But was it all his fault? And what’s next?
Expectations have been unbelievable all year for USC quarterback Sam Darnold, but against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, they were borderline unreachable.
Many expected Darnold to shred one of college football’s best defensive units and prove once and for all that he is the top prospect in the 2018 NFL Draft class (if he declares) but Darnold struggled with the amount of pressure applied by the OSU front.
He completed 26-of-45 passes for 356 yards and an interception, but a key missed call by the officials took a potential touchdown off the board, on one of Darnold’s best throws of the night.
If you were simply looking for NFL traits from Darnold, you saw him flash most everything he’s capable of doing in this game alone.
Darnold was under pressure basically from the very start of this game, and as a result, USC had no chance once the Buckeyes got a big enough lead.
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Late in the game, Darnold started trying to do a little too much, simply trying to get his team back into the game. In doing so, he caused many armchair talent evaluators to make knee jerk reactions about his ability, many suggesting his best option is to (obviously) go back to school.
I don’t share that sentiment.
Darnold playing another year behind this offensive line with a worse supporting cast around him is not going to be a recipe for success, and as it currently stands, Darnold could very easily be the number one pick in the entire draft.
How can you pass that up?
Darnold just might, as there have been rumors all year that he is more likely to return to school than not.
I don’t think he needs to make a knee jerk decision based on this one game alone, but based on the entirety of this season, I think Darnold could very well be a starter day one in the NFL and even though he may struggle with turnovers, I think he’ll ultimately be one of the most coveted players in this class.