Jan

USC Game-Changer Joe McKnight Enters NFL Draft

By Fireman Mike January 8, 2010

USC’s Joe McKnight, one of the top rated running backs in the junior class, will skip his senior season to enter the NFL Draft. This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who followed the Trojans toward the end of the season while McKnight was under investigation for allegedly receiving improper benefits from someone outside of the program, an investigation that cost McKnight a chance to showcase his talents in USC’s Bowl game against Boston College.

At one point during the investigation he was so upset that he told the media that the “ruined his entire life”.
McKnight’s name will be mentioned among the top backs in the country heading in the Draft but there can be two schools of thought for the dynamic back:

NEGATIVES:
- The whole scandal thing that happened at the end of the year. Some scouts will question his integrity, de mcknight4 cision making and overall dedication to his team. His anger toward the situation could be perceived as immature.
- McKnight has been compared to Reggie Bush since he was in high school. In college, you can’t receive a higher compliment. In the NFL, teams will be weary.
- McKnight didn’t get a load of carries and never had to put the Trojans on his back for USC to win games. He only had one game in his career in which he carried the ball 20 times
- What is he? If you draft him too high you aren’t going to want him to return kicks and punts because your best back is libel to get hurt.

POSITIVES:
- McKnight never complained about carries while at USC and contributed in every role he was asked in USC’s offense.
- McKnight averaged over 6 yards per carry during his career at USC. While he may not be the quintessential ‘every down’ back, no player in the 2010 NFL Draft - who isn’t named C.J. Spiller - offers the ability to make explosive plays in so many different ways.
- He’s fresh. Since the Trojans have always had a stable of backs that share carries McKnight hasn’t taken too many big hits during his career and has stayed relatively injury free.
- If you were able to grab him in the late second or early third round - which would truly be a steal - you would have a free mindset to use him whichever way you wanted without worrying about the ramifications from the media or ownership.

BOTTOM LINE:
We’ll take Joe McKnight on our team any day of the week. There is no doubt that he is a Reggie Bush-type player and while some people knock that, think about how much time and attention defensive coordinators around the league have to devote during the week in order to contain Bush when he has the ball in his hands. Anybody who thinks Bush plays a small part in the Saints offense isn’t a very educated NFL fan. Coordinators spend as much time preparing for Bush as they do for the ‘Wildcat’ on a week to week basis and that in itself gives your team an advantage. The biggest issue with Reggie Bush is that he got drafted way too high therefore became overpaid and can be labeled as a bust due to expectations, even though he holds the NFL rookie record for receptions.

While McKnight might be a reach in the first round, any organization that spends a second round pick - or anything thereafter - on him will get a dynamic player with the ability to win you a ball game during any given week. McKnight won’t go as high because of Bush but that will only hurt his wallet, not the way NFL teams use him. A talented team at the bottom half of the first round might actually feel intrigued enough to use their selection on him.