Matt Cassel and the other biggest USC Trojans football NFL Draft gems since 2000

Finally, let's look at a player who may still have many more seasons ahead of him in the NFL. Talanoa Hufanga is one of the better young safeties in the NFL as he patrols the secondary for the 49ers.

A fifth-round pick in 2021, he has already made quite the impact on Sundays. That isn't a surprise in one sense given that he was a 2020 All-American while at USC. Still, fifth-round picks don't often get off to the start that Hufanga has in the NFL.

As a rookie, he started only three games. That year, he was credited with 32 tackles and one pass defense.

In 2022, though, he was a 17-game starter for San Francisco. His tackles jumped to 97 and he had nine pass defenses and four interceptions. That earned him first team All-Pro honors and a Pro Bowl selection.

Unfortunately, a torn ACL cut shot Hfuanga's 2023 season after 10 games. He finished the year with 52 tackles and three picks as he was on his way to potentially setting new career highs in both categories.

The hope is that Hfuanga can recover from this injury and return to full health because when he's right, he's one of the better safeties in the game. If he does, he will certainly go down as one of the best draft gems in recent USC history.