Robert Woods

Because of Woods' reliable route-running, soft hands and toughness, he served not only as Matt Barkley's most trusted option on "money" downs but as the Trojans' primary punt returner, as well. Woods, who caught just three passes for 33 yards in his final game as a Trojan, leaves USC with 252 career catches for 2,930 yards and 32 touchdowns. As if typical for USC wide receivers, he signed as a coveted prospect and hit the ground running, earning the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year award in 2010, starting all 13 games and leading the team with 792 receiving yards. He was a Biletnikof finalist, catching an eye-popping 112 passes for 1,292 yards and 15 touchdowns as a true sophomore, and 76-846-11 as a junior in 2012.

compares to

Donald Driver, WR, ex-Packers - Similar athletes with average size and build for the position, but are able to be productive with smooth routes and consistency catching the ball.

always looking to get better and improve, known as a strong practice player and hard worker. good production the past three seasons, leaving college with 252 career receptions and experience as a kickoff and punt returner.

WEAKNESSES

strengths

Savvy hands-catcher and does a nice job making plays in stride. Polished and crafty route runner and does a nice job changing speeds in his patterns to keep defenders off balance.

not an elite size/speed/strength athlete and has some stiffness in his ankles. lacks track-like speed and won't be able to win with his wheels alone. limited bulk and muscle tone and can be out-muscled in his routes.

Needs to stay controlled in his routes and has the bad habit of extending his arms downfield and will be flagged for pushing off. Gets himself in trouble when trying to retreat or go backwards, either as a receiver or return man. Overzealous blocker and needs to improve his technique. Had concussion symptoms vs. Utah in 2012 and battled several ankle issues over his career.

sharp in-and-out of his breaks with strong plant-and-go quickness. not naturally explosive but accelerates quickly with very good body control and balance. fast hands with very good hand/eye coordination and drops are rare with him. fluid frame and smooth hips to adjust and make tough catches. can climb the ladder and snatch the ball out of the air.

A lot of screens and asked to create on his own with good vision with the ball in his hands. Deceiving strength to come down with contested grabs with the toughness and fearless attitude to fight for every yard and go over the middle. Unselfish player and gives good effort as a blocker.

His 2009 honors included USA Today All-USA first team, Parade All-American, EA Sports All-American first team, Super Prep All-American, Prep Star All-American, Scout.com All-American first team, Max Preps All-American first team, Max Preps All-American Medium Schools first team, Sporting News Top 100, Super Prep Elite 50, Prep Star Dream Team, Super Prep All-Farwest, Prep Star All-West, Orange County Register Fab 15 first team, Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West first team, Tacoma News Tribune Western 100, Cal-Hi Sports All-State first team, Max Preps All-State Division III first team, All-CIF Northwest Division Defensive MVP, Los Angeles Times All-Star Back of the Year, South Bay Daily Breeze All-South Bay Player of the Year and All-Del Rey League MVP as a senior wide receiver and defensive back at Serra High in Gardena (Calif.). He had 66 receptions for 1,112 yards (16.8 avg.) with 15 TDs on offense and had 96 tackles and 8 interceptions (2 for TDs) on defense in 2009. Serra went 15-0 in 2009 and won the CIF Northwest Division title and the California state Division III championship (he had 226 all-purpose yards in the state final game).

He is a policy, planning and development major at USC. His father and grandfather (both also named Robert) played football at Grambling.