USC Athletics

Just over a week ago, the 2018 NFL season came to an end when the New England Patriots won Super Bowl LIII. The dozens of Trojans in the NFL had much to be proud of in 2018, from personal records to Pro Bowl and Super Bowl appearances.

Our of the 17 Trojans who made the NFL Playoffs, three (Robert Woods, Nickell Robey-Coleman and Justin Davis) made their first trip to the Super Bowl. Though the Los Angeles Rams didn't bring home the trophy, these Trojans continued USC's storied Super Bowl tradition (114 Super Bowl appearances by USC alumni).

Three more Trojans — Jurrell Casey, Tyron Smith and JuJu Smith-Schuster — made the Pro Bowl. Casey earned his fourth straight nod, Smith his sixth straight and Smith-Schuster made his first ever. Smith-Schuster followed up his impressive rookie season with an even better 2018, ranking fifth in the NFL with 1,426 yards. Other notable USC WRs included Woods, who ranked 13th in the NFL with 1,219 yards, and Nelson Agholor, who posted 736.

Six Trojans made their NFL debuts in 2018: Sam Darnold, Deontay Burnett, Uchenna Nwosu, Ronald Jones II, Rasheem Green and Steven Mitchell Jr. Darnold started at QB for the New York Jets, throwing for 2,865 and 17 touchdowns (ranking second all-time among Jets rookies in both categories).

Soon, USC will send a new batch of players to the NFL. Cameron Smith, Porter Gustin, Iman Marshall, Marvell Tell and Chuma Edoga earned invites to the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine, and even more graduating seniors have their sights set on the NFL as well.

The 2019 NFL Draft will take place from April 25-27 in Nashville, Tenn.