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2018 NFL Draft Rumors: Could Sam Darnold stay at USC longer?

By Kevin Parvizi

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 02: Quarterback Sam Darnold #14 of the USC Trojans scrambles prior to throwing a touchdown pass in the third quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the 2017 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 02: Quarterback Sam Darnold #14 of the USC Trojans scrambles prior to throwing a touchdown pass in the third quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the 2017 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Sam Darnold is going to be everywhere leading up to the 2018 NFL Draft, but it’s all for naught if he doesn’t leave the USC Trojans after his redshirt sophomore season.

Sam Darnold is having a busy offseason in preparation for an important 2017 campaign for the USC Trojans, as Darnold is quarterbacking one of the top teams in the country. USC is one of the early favorites to win the championship, and Darnold is the biggest reason for the positivity surrounding the program.

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The 6-4, 215-pounder is working on tweaking his throwing motion, which should make him more efficient and could help him avoid injury. Darnold was also a counselor at “The Opening” and recorded the highest score ever at their quarterback counselors challenge.

All of this has served to further the hype, but there’s no guarantee Darnold will actually declare for the 2018 NFL Draft upon the conclusion of the season. Conventional wisdom says that the redshirt sophomore should declare without thinking twice, because, barring any shocking events, he should be the first overall pick. The hype train has simply been unstoppable to this point.

However, sources close to Darnold told NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah that the quarterback could choose to stay at USC for two more seasons. The piece also contains more praise for Darnold from scouts who were at “The Opening” event, as they praised Darnold for his humility and thirst for knowledge. The latter was already evident this offseason, as Darnold has been hard at work learning from private quarterbacks coach Jordan Palmer (a former NFL signal-caller).

It’s hard to take any of these rumblings from sources too seriously, because the college football season hasn’t even started. As with anything dealing with young people, decisions are always subject to change, because the future is totally in Darnold’s hands. There’s no right or wrong answer between staying in school and playing in the draft, and while the consensus would be for Darnold to declare if his stock remains this high, there are always valid reasons for returning.

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At the very least, this report is a reminder that every mock draft or piece about Darnold should come with the caveat that it isn’t 100 percent that Darnold will declare. Remember when Andrew Luck decided to stay at Stanford instead of joining the 2011 NFL Draft class? Darnold could be the next touted quarterback from the Pac-12 to swerve a team by staying in college. Luck’s decision, by the way, didn’t negatively affect him at all.

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