Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

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.

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Despite going undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft, USC defensive end Wes Horton is officially a professional football player, having signed as a free agent with the Carolina Panthers, as he announced via Facebook.

Horton played in all but three games while at USC, as he split starting time for much of his career with Devon Kennard at the defensive end spot opposite of Nick Perry. He finished with 14.5 career sacks, 5.5 of those coming in his senior season, when he was a full-time starter in place of an injured Kennard.

Coming out of high school, Horton was 4-star prospect and the third ranked defensive end in the draft, yet he was often out-shadowed by USC’s other ends, like Perry and Morgan Breslin. That said, in 2012, Horton used his full-time starting role to improve his tackling, as the senior finished with a career-high 43 tackles, 6.5 of which came behind the line of scrimmage.

While Horton has the size and form of a prototypical crashing defensive end in a 4-3 scheme, his inconsistency in getting off his blocks could push him outside as a hybrid end/linebacker project.

Going into the draft, Horton was listed in the seventh round by some mock drafts, a notion strengthened by a snub from the NFL Combine.

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Wes Horton’s career at USC was one filled with inclinations of grandeur, but not very much in the way of consistency, which ultimately led to the NFL passing him over when it came to getting an invite to February’s Scouting Combine. During this weekend’s 2013 NFL Draft, Horton will be just looking to get his name called, come Saturday.

The 6-foot-5, 237-pound defensive end certainly looks the part of a prominent prospect, but his lack of growth and development over his four years in Troy are not lost on NFL scouts. In spite of that, Horton could still be a worthy get for a team late this weekend, as he has the potential to blossom into a solid depth defensive end.

Horton found himself in the starting rotation in 2009 as a redshirt freshman, and from there, he started at least six games per season through the rest of his career at USC. He achieved personal-bests during the 2012 season, with 5.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss on the year.

All things considered, expect him to go very late in the draft or to be picked up as an undrafted free agent after this weekend’s draft in New York City.

Current Projections

Matt Miller of Bleacher Report: 7th Round, 239 overall to Philadelphia [Link]
CBS Sports: 319th on the Big Board, 7th Round/Free Agent [Link]
NFL Draft Scout: 7th Round/Free Agent [Link]
Walter Football: Undrafted Free Agent [Link]
Bleeding Green Nation Undrafted Free Agent [Link]