In recent years, we have seen LSU, Georgia, and Ohio State produce all-time-great NFL draft classes. In the more distant past, USC football did that sort of thing. The 1977 NFL draft class is one such example, as we noted several years ago:
“(Ricky) Bell was taken in the first round with two USC teammates, Marvin Powell by the New York Jets and Gary Jeter by the New York Giants. Both Powell and Jeter played a full decade in the NFL, with Jeter playing 12 years. Powell, though, had the better career, making six Pro Bowl teams and three All-Pro honors.
“USC’s only second-round pick from the 1977 draft, Dave Lewis, made the 1980 NFC Pro Bowl team. Most of the other draft picks didn’t pan out, but much as Pat Haden — taken outside the top 150 in the 1975 draft — had a reasonably productive NFL career, another USC quarterback, Vince Evans, played above his draft position. Evans was taken at No. 140 in the 1977 draft. He parlayed that mid-level draft selection into a pro career which lasted nearly 20 years, in the NFL and the USFL. Evans finally retired in 1995 with the Raiders in the first year of their return to Oakland from Los Angeles.
“Eric Williams was picked No. 216 in the 1977 NFL Draft. He exceeded all expectations, lasting seven years in the NFL. No mention of the 1977 NFL Draft class for USC is complete without a mention of Rod Martin. The last of these 14 picks, Martin won two Super Bowls with the Oakland and then Los Angeles Raiders.”
This was a very deep 14-player class for USC at the 1977 NFL draft. The top picks were productive, with middle-and-lower-draft picks also producing special and successful pro careers.
USC’s 1976 team, which finished second in the nation (Pittsburgh won the national title that year), had an NFL draft class as good as its season turned out to be.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC’s 1977 NFL draft class was large, historic, and clearly special
Reporting by Matt Zemek, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
