May 10, 2013; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Robert Woods (10) runs a drill during rookie minicamp at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills have reached a rookie deal with former Trojan wide receiver Robert Woods on Monday morning, according to the Associated Press.

Drafted in the second round and 41st overall in April’s NFL Draft, the Southern California star was regarded as one of the most well-groomed wide receivers out of college, and this fall he will compete to start opposite Stevie Johnson.

Woods set a number of records at USC, en route to finishing his three-year career there with
2,930 receiving yards and 32 touchdowns.

Over the weekend Woods participated in the NFL Player’s Association’s “Rookie Premiere” event in Los Angeles, and today, he returned to Buffalo to begin Buffalo’s three-day minicamp.

Aside from Woods, the Bills drafted Marquise Goodwin from Texas in the third round and signed Da’Rick Rogers as an undrafted free agent later as apart of an effort to rebuild the wide receiver corps under new coach Doug Marrone.

So far, Buffalo has reached a deal with seven of eight rookies that it drafted this year. Only quarterback EJ Manuel out of Florida State remains unsigned.

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USC saw four Trojans get their names called during this weekend’s 2013 NFL Draft, bringing the total to 480 all-time in school history. The Trojans continue to hold the record for most athletes drafted into the NFL, though this year’s event saw very few Men of Troy get picked.

Somewhat surprisingly, wide receiver Robert Woods was the first Trojan to be summoned into the pros, receiving his call in the second round from the Buffalo Bills. They selected him with the 41st overall pick, and got the ball rolling for USC’s draftees after a slow start. In the third round, safety T.J. McDonald found himself selected by the St. Louis Rams with the 71st pick and all the while USC fans and analysts alike began to wonder why a certain quarterback had yet to be picked up this late in the draft.

Finally, at the beginning of the fourth round and with the 98th pick, Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles caused quarterback Matt Barkley’s phone to light up, putting an end to the anxiety and speculation. The fourth round was surely not where Barkley saw himself going when he elected to stay at USC for his senior year, but despite the fall from grace, he now has the opportunity to learn a system under Kelly and his current starting quarterback, Michael Vick. This mentorship could really serve Barkley well, allowing him to be properly groomed for a promising pro life that recently has evaded USC quarterbacks.

The last Trojan to be drafted also happened in the fourth round, when the Indianapolis Colts picked up center Khaled Holmes with the 121st overall selection.

Four other Trojans got signed with NFL teams immediately after the draft, the most surprising of which being cornerback Nickell Robey. Though he is slight of size and stature, Robey had a standout career at USC and was thought to be good enough to get selected during one of the NFL Draft’s seven rounds. That ultimately proved not to be the case, but he will join Woods with the Bills this season, as an undrafted free agent. Safety Jawanza Starling signed with the Houston Texans, defensive end Wes Horton with the Carolina Panthers, and running back Curtis McNeal with the Pittsburg Steelers.

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Curtis McNeal has gone from being an LAUSD kid to being in the NFL. McNeal went undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft, but signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers shortly after the annual spectactle ended in New York City, as reported by Steelers Depot.

McNeal wasn’t projected as a running back that would be drafted, mostly due to his size and struggles with injuries. The 5-foot-7, 190 pound back got off to a slow start at USC with just 33 rushing yards to his name before his junior season, but he finished career with enough of a resume for NFL scouts to take a chance on him.

McNeal forfeited the 2010 season due to academic ineligibility, but bounced back wholeheartedly as a junior in 2011, leading USC in rushing with 1,005 rushing yards on just 145 carries. Going into 2012, McNeal was expected to be the Trojans’ starting running back for the whole season, but Lane Kiffin brought in Penn State transfer Silas Redd last July, and the former Nittany Lion got a bulk of the carries and started early.

Redd and McNeal both had injury trouble last season, alternating their missed time, as McNeal was able to thrive late in the season in lieu of Redd’s ankle injury. In a two-week stretch in November against Arizona State and UCLA as the featured back, McNeal had 324 yards on 52 carries.

The two games were far and away McNeal’s best, though a shoulder injury cost him against Notre Dame. In the Sun Bowl, he had just three carries, which allegedly led him to be one of the most vocally frustrated players in a non-physical locker room fracas.

The former Venice Gondolier brings a low point of gravity to the NFL, along with a shiftiness that made him one of the most elusive backs in the Pac-12 of late. With the NFL not valuing running backs as draftable commodities like they used to, going undrafted isn’t necessarily a knock on McNeal, and if he can impress in a camp or two, he could very well find himself getting carries on Sundays.