If you've yet to see Southern California left tackle Matt Kalil, make sure to tune in tonight when the Trojans play at California (9 p.m. EST). What his brother, Ryan, has developed into at the center position, Matt can do at tackle. The younger Kalil is a good athlete for the position, and nicely kicks out wide in the pass game. Kalil is active with his hands and push pass rushers out of the play. He's arguably the top tackle eligible for the 2012 NFL Draft along with Stanford's Jonathan Martin.
USC at California NFL Draft watch notes
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Then there is Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley. Like Kalil, the junior is expected to go pro after this season. As pointed out earlier, Barkley reminds me of fellow Trojan Mark Sanchez with a little better accuracy. One thing to watch with Barkley is his consistency on the deep pass. His longer throws tend to flutter at times, which calls his arm strength into question.
USC also features one of the best all-around safeties eligible for the 2012 draft in T.J. McDonald. While he's not elite in any area of his game, he's a solid athlete with good size. Read our quick notes on McDonald here.
Watch how USC uses Nick Perry tonight on defense. Throughout the season he’s played standing up and with his hand in the dirt. He’s still raw as a prospect but starting to show signed was he was blue chip recruit a few years ago. He’s the kind of player who could get on a hot streak the rest of the season and turn it into a high draft position.
Teams that run the 3-4 defense and need ends will have a keen eye on California end Trevor Guyton. He’s got the prototype build and playing style for the position. He should time pretty well in the offseason, so don’t be shocked if he’s picked in the first 75 selections in April.
I love the playing style of Bears middle linebacker Mychal Kendricks. He’ll never get a fair shake as a prospect because he’s only 5-foot-11 and isn’t an elite athlete, but he’ll make an NFL roster. He’s got solid instincts, can really lay a hit and is almost always need the play.
Another good Cal sleeper is safety Sean Cattouse. He’s decent in coverage, is a solid tackler and has nice size at 6-foot-2.
We don’t give much credence to scouting kickers and punters, but Cal has a good one in Bryan Anger. He’s averaging 44.4 yards per punt this season.
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