The college football season is just past the halfway point, but the 2015 NFL Draft is still a topic of extensive conversation around USC.
The school will probably add to its record number of draft picks this offseason, but Trojans head coach Steve Sarkisian is already hoping the underclassmen who are stars on his current roster will make better decisions when it comes to going pro than some of the players who left early last year.
"I wish I had a better relationship with those kids that left early because I think maybe a couple of them, a few of them maybe, would have made a little better decision or at least had more information," Sarkisian told reporters after practice on Thursday. "Hopefully, this time around our guys are really well-informed, and they make really educated decisions, not emotional ones, that are in their best interest."
USC had five juniors declare for the 2014 NFL Draft just after Sarkisian was hired, but they did not end up going where many had projected them to. Receiver Marqise Lee slipped to the second round; offensive lineman Marcus Martin dropped to the third round; and underclassmen Dion Bailey, Xavier Grimble, and George Uko all left school early but failed to get drafted.
Their stories serve as an example to be cautious for the large number of potential draft picks on USC's team this year. That's especially true when it comes to defensive lineman Leonard Williams, who is considered by some to be a potential top 10 pick if he leaves early.
"More than anything, I just don't want it to affect his play -- that he holds back in any way or he's trying to save himself, which he hasn't done," Sarkisian said. "I don't want to imply that at all. He has not done that. But that's always one of the concerns as a coach."
Williams has been limited in practice all season because of lingering injuries but turned in perhaps his best game of the season last week against Arizona when he racked up his fourth sack of the season, had eight tackles and a key stop of a two-point conversion to help seal the win in Tucson.
While it doesn't appear that the draft-eligible junior is suffering from the malaise Jadevon Clowney did last year, it's clear the possibility of that happening as the draft draws closer is on the mind of his head coach.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
