Patrick Turner WR 6’5 220 USC

USC shocked many when they pulled Turner away from his hometown Volunteers, but he was hoping to follow up the careers of Mike Williams and Dwayne Jarrett as Trojans. His first two years in the program he was the top reserve to Jarrett and Steve Smith, so his touches were limited. As a freshman he caught 12 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns. A year later, he hauled in 29 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns. Turner became a starter as a junior and was expected to be the next star, but he didn’t quite live up to the expectations. He did have a solid season however, catching 48 passes for 569 yards and three touchdowns. Turner finally became a leader and go to option for the Trojans as a senior. In a balanced attack he caught 45 passes for 667 yards while being a force in the red zone with ten touchdown grabs.

Strengths

When you see Turner, his size obviously jumps out at you. He is tall and built very well, which allows him to go over the middle and be a force in the red zone. He is a very good athlete, which combined with his size, makes him a tough match up near the goal line. He has surprising straight-line speed and pick up chunks of yardage once he gets moving. The light finally clicked for Turner as a senior, as he was more aggressive going up for the football and finally established himself as a prospect.

Weaknesses

Turner has the physical tools to be a star, but needs to be more consistent on the field. He was never the superstar expected, but he waited until his final season to play with any aggression. Teams will need to be convinced that the light is on for good and that Turner will not regress into the lackadaisical performer he was his first three seasons on campus.

Future

Patrick Turner is a guy that has the ability to be as good as he wants. He had a fine senior season and if he can carry that over into the post season, he could go higher than many expect. It is a weak year for senior receivers, especially ones with Turner’s size. He has the chance to go as high as the second round but probably will last into the third or fourth.