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Dwayne Jarrett to the Carolina Panthers in the 2nd Round!
The "S" in USC is starting to stand for "slipping" on NFL draft day.
For the second year in a row, a prominent Trojans football player plummeted down the draft Saturday. This time it was Dwayne Jarrett, the Pacific-10 Conference’s all-time leader in touchdown receptions, who suffered through the long wait and awkward television moments as he fell out of the first round before being taken 45th overall by the Carolina Panthers.
"It was definitely a long wait," said Jarrett’s agent, Darin Morgan, who spoke on Jarrett’s behalf. "… He told me his desire is to prove 31 teams made a mistake today."
Morgan had warned Friday that Jarrett might not speak to the media if he slipped in the draft. He did do a brief interview on ESPN after his selection.
Seven receivers were selected before Jarrett went with the 13th pick in the second round. He was the first of three Trojans drafted in the round, followed six picks later by receiver Steve Smith to the New York Giants, then center Ryan Kalil 59th overall, also to Carolina.
Last year, Matt Leinart dropped from the third pick to 10th when the Titans passed on him for Vince Young, and two others projected as first rounders - Winston Justice and LenDale White - fell into the second round.
But like Leinart, the end result for Jarrett may be less money in the short term in exchange for a better situation. In Carolina, Smith can learn from former Trojans receiver Keyshawn Johnson, then take his place in a few years when Johnson retires.
"This guy is much like me," said Johnson, who was visibly excited about the pick on ESPN, where he was serving as a draft analyst. "I can teach him how to be physical."
Jarrett will continue to play next to a Steve Smith, though it will probably be as second fiddle to Carolina’s star wideout.
USC’s Smith, a former Taft High of Woodland Hills standout, also enters a promising situation in New York, where the Giants will soon need to replace 33-year-old Amani Toomer.
Smith said earlier in the week that he’d love to go to San Diego to stay close to home, where it’s warm. While New York is about the furthest away from that ideal, he’ll get to play in the No. 1 media market.
"I was hoping to go in top 40 picks, but I’m happy to be going to New York," said Smith, who watched the draft at former high school coach Troy Starr’s house. "Playing with Eli Manning will be a treat. That’s one of the things I’m most excited about. I know he has great potential."
Former USC cornerback Eric Wright, who transferred to UNLV after being arrested on suspicion of rape and drug possession (the charges were later dropped), also went in the second round, 53rd overall to Cleveland.
Jarrett, who set the school record for receptions in USC’s Rose Bowl victory over Michigan, had teams concerned about his speed when he ran the 40-yard dash in a disappointing 4.62seconds at USC’s Pro Day last month.
That time only exacerbated the unfavorable comparisons to Mike Williams, the receiver he took over for at USC.
Williams, who has been a failure in the NFL so far with the knock that he’s too slow, even ran a better 40 at 4.56seconds back in 2004.
Williams was traded from the Detroit Lions to the Oakland Raiders in a draft-day deal Saturday.
"It got tiresome to hear," Morgan said of the Williams comparisons. "If he didn’t go to USC, he’d never have been compared to Mike Williams. I like the comparison instead to Michael Irvin, Jerry Rice and other greats who didn’t run the fastest 40time."
Before the San Diego Chargers picked at No. 30, ESPN showed clips of Jarrett’s play at USC and a live shot of him with family and friends in New York. Then the Chargers went on to select Craig Davis, the No. 2 receiver at LSU. Jarrett scored 41 touchdowns in his USC career compared to seven for Davis.
Jarrett had to wait through the longest first round in NFL history, clocking in at 6hours, 8 minutes.
The slippage will lead to second-guessing on whether Jarrett should have returned for his senior season.
"I think everybody has his own path," Jarrett said on ESPN. "I did this for me and my family, and I thought it was the best decision for us."
