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

The first year in the Big Ten 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.

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 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.

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 he must improve his ball skills.

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, although 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 for stretches.

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
Grade	Rnd	Pos	Full Name	Yr	#
3.54	4th	WR	Ja'Kobi Lane	3Jr	8
3.42	5th	S	Kamari Ramsey	4Jr	7
3.41	5th	DE	Anthony Lucas	4Sr	6
3.38	6th	WR	Makai Lemon	3Jr	6
3.38	6th	G	Alani Noa	3Jr	77
3.36	6th	ILB	Eric Gentry	5Sr	18
3.35	6th	T	Elijah Paige	3So	72
3.22	FA	C	J'Onre Reed	5Sr	50
3.21	FA	TE	Lake McRee	5Sr	87
3.18	FA	CB	DJ Harvey	5Sr	2
3.16	FA	G	DJ Wingfield	5Sr	56
3.09	FA	T	Mason Murphy	4Sr	76
2.95	FA	RB	Eli Sanders	5Sr	1

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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 an 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 an exception to the rule.

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
Grade	Rnd	Pos	Full Name	Yr	#
3.95	2nd	QB	Nico Iamaleava	3So	99
3.35	6th	T	Garrett DiGiorgio	5Sr	72
3.33	6th	DT	Keanu Williams	5Sr	99
3.24	6th	DT	Gary Smith III	5Sr	58
3.08	FA	WR	Titus Mokiao-Atimalala	5Sr	2
3.02	FA	ILB	JonJon Vaughns	5Sr	21
3.02	FA	RB	Jalen Berger	5Sr	0
3.02	FA	QB	Joey Aguilar	6Sr	4
3.01	FA	TE	Hudson Habermehl	5Sr	81
3	FA	S	Key Lawrence	5Sr	12