Many former USC Trojans are struggling in the NFL, while there is a light at the end of the tunnel for a few other USC alumni in pro football. Drake London's star has continued to rise, and as long as Michael Penix Jr. can stay upright, London will head toward a career season.
Here is my breakdown of how some former USC football players fared in the fifth week of the NFL season:
Makai Lemon
Makai Lemon, with more opportunity, still did not have his breakout game. His production is still improving, but he has yet to match the standard for where he was drafted. 5 catches for 43 yards, his best production for the season, is simply not good enough for a first-round pick.
Marshawn Lloyd
Very fitting that Marshawn Lloyd saved his best performance for the Chicago Bears. He embraced
the biggest rivalry in the NFL this past week, bringing the Packers' run game back to life. Lloyd had 10 carries for just 31 yards, but he finished the game with 2 rushing touchdowns. Both of his touchdowns set the tone and showed off his physicality. The Packers' run game is still very concerning, but Lloyd did enough to help the Packers humble their rival.
Woody Marks
No David Montgomery, and now Woody Marks has his shot to run things just like last year. For the first time in a couple of games, the run game for the Texans actually had a pulse. Woody Marks had 15 carries for 62 yards and 23 yards receiving on 4 catches.
Kamari Rasmey
Kamari Ramsey is getting more and more involved each week. This past week, he tallied 3 tackles against the Titans. His role is growing, and pretty soon the Texans' secondary will have 2 key contributors from USC.
Tuli Tuipulotu
Tuli did not finish with a sack, but instead he made an impact everywhere else on the stat sheet. Tuli finished the game with 4 tackles and a pass deflection. His disruption opened the door for other teammates to get sack production, like Akheem Mesidor.
Amon-Ra St. Brown
St. Brown had a modest production day for his standard. He was still a big part of the Lions' exciting, dominant day. St. Brown had 6 catches for 69 yards. He will need to get back to playing at his standard if he wants to get back in the top 5 receiver rankings.
Uchenna Nwosu
Nwosu stuffed the stat sheet against the 49ers. Nwosu had 4 tackles on the day, and he remains a disruptor for the Seattle Seahawks' defense.
Sam Darnold
The Seattle Seahawks came up short, and a lot of that was in due part to Sam Darnold's performance. Darnold was sacked 5 times, and he threw 2 interceptions. This was a performance that resembled more of Sam Darnold's days with the New York Jets. The
Drake London
Ever since Michael Penix returned to the lineup, Drake London has performed like a top receiver in the league. Week 5 was another example of that. Drake London had 7 catches for 118 yards. If Penix was able to finish the game, the Falcons would have won, and Drake London likely would have had even more production. Drake London is showing the league exactly what type of receiver he is. He put the USC Trojans on his back this week, being the big star from this past weekend.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC Week 5 NFL report - Drake London plays like an alpha in Atlanta
