April 28, 2007

Three USC All-American football players--wide receivers Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith and center Ryan Kalil--were selected on the first day of the 2007 NFL draft on Saturday (April 28), all in the second round.

Jarrett, who gave up his 2007 senior season at USC to enter the draft, was chosen by the Carolina Panthers as the draft's 45th pick. He is USC's career receptions leader (215) and the Pac-10's all-time leader in touchdown receptions (41). He was the eighth wide receiver chosen on the day.

Smith, who caught 190 passes in his Trojan career with 22 TDs, went 6 picks later to the New York Giants.

Kalil, a 2006 Rimington Award finalist who won the Pac-10 Morris Trophy, will remain a teammate of Jarrett's as the Panthers took him with the 59th selection. He was the first center drafted in 2007.

In Trojan head coach Pete Carroll's 6 years at USC, he now has had 30 players drafted by the NFL. It was the first time since the 2002 draft that the Trojans did not have a first round selection.

The draft concludes on Sunday (April 29) with rounds 4 through 7.