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Leonard Williams stars with Titans on hand for USC pro day

LOS ANGELES -- As the 2015 NFL Draft draws closer, it still appears likely that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are zeroing in on taking quarterback Jameis Winston with the No. 1 overall pick.



If Wednesday's jam-packed USC pro day was any indication, we could be seeing a consensus forming on who will be drafted with the second overall pick, too.

The Tennessee Titans sent a near armada to the Trojans' track stadium on Wednesday. At least three Titans scouts were in attendance, and the team's defensive line coach, Giff Smith, put Leonard Williams through the paces during drills.

The team has long been linked to Williams with the No. 2 overall pick and it clearly is doing its homework on the player many analysts consider to be the most talented in the draft. In addition to seeing him up close while he went through a full battery of on-field drills -- Williams opted to stand on his testing numbers from the NFL Scouting Combine -- Titans evaluators were able to interview USC assistant coaches and other people connected with the program during their time in Los Angeles to get a better sense of what Williams is like off the field.

Williams made his case for why he should be the No. 1 overall pick during a media session after the workout Wednesday, but he told CFB 24/7 that the Titans are the only team that has scheduled a private workout with him thus far. Williams also said Tennessee has shown much more interest in him than the Buccaneers and Jaguars.

Titans brass will surely evaluate both Winston and quarterback Marcus Mariota, who will participate in Oregon's pro day on Thursday, given the team's needs at the position. Of course, Williams said any team that passes on him will surely regret its decision down the road.

"If they pick a quarterback over me, they better know I'll take him down later," Williams said with a hearty laugh.



Given his rare talent, Williams might not have been joking.

Williams wasn't the only Trojan in action at USC's pro day, though. Here are some notes on the other prospects that took part in the event Wednesday.

» Wideout Nelson Agholor, who will likely be the second USC player off the board in this year's draft, opted to stand on his 40-yard dash time from the combine (4.42) but went through the shuttle, agility and receiver drills after he was unable to go through the full slate at the combine due to a hand injury. He looked quick and ran crisp routes but did have a handful of drops. He told reporters after the workout that the misses he had Wednesday will be something he'll go back and work on as he tries to develop into a complete NFL receiver.

» Cornerback Josh Shaw spoke to the media at USC for the first time since he was suspended by the team in August after admitting to fabricating a story about rescuing his nephew from drowning in a pool. He noted Wednesday that NFL teams did not really ask about the incident during the combine because he was able to address it with all 32 clubs at the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl. His first private workout is on Monday with the Houston Texans.

» Tailback Javorius "Buck" Allen opted to stand on his combine numbers, but did participate in position-specific drills. He was asked by a number of scouts to run extra routes after the day's script was over, something he was happy to do. He noted that his first private workout will be on Friday with the Carolina Panthers.

» Wide receiver George Farmer surprised by declaring for the draft as an underclassman and he was not invited to the combine. Though he expressed disappointment about not receiving an invite to the combine, he impressed Wednesday by running an electronically timed 4.35 in the 40-yard dash. Farmer indicated he has no regrets about deciding to forgo his senior season at USC.

» Tight end Randall Telfer told scouts he suffered a Lisfranc injury to his left foot and was limited to watching pro day from his scooter on the track next to the field. It appears the pass-catcher will likely be looking to make a team as an undrafted free agent this year.

» Linebacker Hayes Pullard ran a 4.74 in the 40 and looked quite spry during his workout.

You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.

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