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Carson Palmer made history for USC at 2003 NFL draft
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- Carson Palmer made history for USC at 2003 NFL draft
Carson Palmer made history for USC at 2003 NFL draft
USC football has produced six No. 1 NFL draft picks in its history. The first four came in the 20th century. None of them were quarterbacks. USC produced two No. 1 pick running backs, an offensive lineman, and a receiver. The century ended without the Trojans creating a No. 1 NFL draft pick at quarterback. Carson Palmer began the 21st century as a USC quarterback. In the course of time, he rose to the top of the board at the 2003 NFL draft, becoming the No. 1 pick of the Cincinnati Bengals .
Carson Palmer forged a successful NFL career. He never made the Super Bowl, but came very close, reaching the NFC Championship Game with the Arizona Cardinals in the 2015 NFL season. He made several playoff appearances with the Bengals but was hampered by the limitations of head coach Marvin Lewis, who never really understood how to maximize a modern NFL offense.
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When comparing Carson Palmer to USC's Sam Darnold -- the quarterback who finally started a Super Bowl, the first Trojan at that position to do so in the 60-year-old Super Bowl era -- the important and salient difference is that Darnold finally found the right fit in terms of talent and coaching. Darnold grew under Kyle Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers, then Kevin O'Connell with the Minnesota Vikings , then Klint Kubiak and Mike Macdonald with the Seattle Seahawks. Carson Palmer never had an offensive genius as his coordinator or head coach. If he did, he probably would have reached a Super Bowl.
As is, Palmer was a well-above-average NFL quarterback for over a decade. He had his moments and achieved substantial professional success. He will always be known as the first USC quarterback to be a No. 1 pick. It took 21 years for a second USC quarterback to go No. 1: Caleb Williams in 2024.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Carson Palmer is the first of his kind in USC NFL draft history
