Insider notes on UCLA and USC: Draft grades for top prospects ft. Nico Iamaleava, Ja'Kobi Lane, and more

NCAA Football: Big Ten Media Days - Source: Imagn
Insider notes on UCLA and USC: Draft grades for top prospects ft. Nico Iamaleava, Ja'Kobi Lane, and more - Source: Imagn

The first year in the Big 10 for the schools from southern California was not an inspired one. After a stunning win over LSU to start the season, USC struggled through the conference schedule, yet it did end the year beating Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl.

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UCLA, on the other hand, looked terrible during the first half of the year, in large part due to Brian Kelly’s late decision to step down as head coach, yet the Bruins showed some resilience in the second half. They got the better of their crosstown rivals in the draft, placing a pair of players in the second round.

USC Trojans

The talent level at USC has fallen off in recent years, as the program that consistently put players into the first round and had the first pick of the draft not long ago had just three players selected this past April and only a single top-100 pick. The team has a lot of talent on the depth chart, though most of it grades as Day 3 prospects.

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USC has a history of putting talented receivers in the draft and presently has a pair of next-level wideouts. Ja'Kobi Lane is a nice-sized possession receiver with dependable hands. He’s physical and consistently wins out for the contested grab. Makai Lemon is slightly smaller but quicker and speedier. His hands are not as reliable as his teammate’s.

Scouts like Kamari Ramsey, an athletic safety who forces the action against the run. Ramsey displays solid range yet must improve his ball skills.

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Defensive lineman Anthony Lucas also gets love from the scouting community, as he’s an athletic big man with outstanding size and speed. The issue for Lucas is limited production, a combined 26 tackles with no sacks the past two seasons, though he was limited to just six games last year.

Lack of production is something that’s also plagued Eric Gentry, a tall athletic linebacker who looked like a star in the making during his first year with the Trojans in 2022, but he’s since watched his game move in reverse. Gentry is an imposing physical specimen who makes dynamic plays on occasion then disappears from stretches.

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Tight end Lake McCree, a well-built player with solid pass-catching ability, is another who could move up draft boards with a big season.

USC Prospects
GradeRndPosFull NameYr#
3.544thWRJa'Kobi Lane3Jr8
3.425thSKamari Ramsey4Jr7
3.415thDEAnthony Lucas4Sr6
3.386thWRMakai Lemon3Jr6
3.386thGAlani Noa3Jr77
3.366thILBEric Gentry5Sr18
3.356thTElijah Paige3So72
3.22FACJ'Onre Reed5Sr50
3.21FATELake McRee5Sr87
3.18FACBDJ Harvey5Sr2
3.16FAGDJ Wingfield5Sr56
3.09FATMason Murphy4Sr76
2.95FARBEli Sanders5Sr1
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UCLA Bruins

The Bruins made one of the most impactful signings in the offseason when Nico Iamaleava made UCLA his new home after all the Tennessee drama. Iamaleava has the physical tools to be a very early draft pick and showed progress as a passer last season. His upside is huge, yet he needs to continue to develop at the position and prove the off-field drama from a few months ago was the exception to the rule.

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Garrett DiGiorgio is a large and thick right tackle who blocks with leverage as well as strength. He anchors in pass protection and gets movement run blocking, yet he is not a great athlete with a lot of upside.

Keanu Williams and Gary Smith are a pair of defensive tackles who were highly rated coming into 2024, yet they had their seasons disrupted by injury. Williams is a tall lineman with great quickness and playmaking potential. Smith, on the other hand, is a short, wide-bodied nose tackle type who is also quick while being incredibly strong with the ability to hold the point of attack.

UCLA Prospects
GradeRndPosFull NameYr#
3.952ndQBNico Iamaleava3So99
3.356thTGarrett DiGiorgio5Sr72
3.336thDTKeanu Williams5Sr99
3.246thDTGary Smith III5Sr58
3.08FAWRTitus Mokiao-Atimalala5Sr2
3.02FAILBJonJon Vaughns5Sr21
3.02FARBJalen Berger5Sr0
3.02FAQBJoey Aguilar6Sr4
3.01FATEHudson Habermehl5Sr81
3FASKey Lawrence5Sr12

USC Trojans Fan? Check out the latest Trojans depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.

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Edited by Tony Pauline
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