Kedon Slovis was a rock star in his freshman year at USC. What ever became of him? Is he going to be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Pro Football Network observes and asks:
There was once a time when Kedon Slovis broke records at USC. Can the BYU QB regain the magic with his 2024 NFL Draft scouting report?
Kedon Slovis’ Breakout at USC
Guided by Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, Slovis became at four-star recruit in 2018. Warner coached Slovis during his high school days in Scottsdale, and Slovis signed with the USC Trojans.
Desert Mountain QB and USC commit Kedon Slovis just put pen to paper. pic.twitter.com/a08hkO27iC
— Jordan Hamm (@JordyHamm) December 19, 2018
In his freshman season at USC in 2019, Slovis was second on the Trojans’ depth chart, behind JT Daniels. However, Slovis quickly saw action, as Daniels suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opening game of the season. Slovis was the Trojans’ QB1 for the rest of the season.
Slovis immediately shined, as described by one of his hometown newspapers:
“Kedon Slovis was groomed by one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, but not many expected the 18-year-old to do what he did in his first start for USC.
“Slovis, who a year ago was slinging it around at Scottsdale Desert Mountain High School, set a USC record for a true freshman’s first start on Saturday night, passing for 377 passing yards and three touchdowns, rallying the Trojans to a 45-20 win over No. 23-ranked Stanford in Los Angeles.
“It was the first time a true freshman at USC threw multiple TD passes in his first start.”
In the 2019 rivalry game against UCLA, Slovis had a record-setting performance, throwing for over 500 yards and four touchdown passes. Following the 2019 season, Slovis was named Pac 12 Freshman of the Year.
He was considered a Heisman Trophy candidate going into the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He had a strong season, and was named first-team All-Pac 12.
Slovis’ performance dropped off in 2021, due in large part to injuries. Indeed, he suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery.
Lincoln Riley Was Hired as USC’s Coach, Caleb Williams Transferred to USC, and Slovis Entered the Transfer Portal, But Never Replicated the Magic of His Freshman Season
The end of 2021 and beginning of 2022 was a time of radical change at USC. Lincoln Riley was hired away from Oklahoma to become the Trojans’ new head coach. Caleb Williams followed Coach Riley. And Slovis was out the door and into the transfer portal.
As Pro Football Network reports, Slovis transferred twice thereafter, first to Pitt, and then to BYU. However, Slovis never regained the form of his breakout freshman year at Southern Cal:
“At Pitt, Slovis instead had his worst collegiate season, … throwing for 2,397 yards, 10 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He completed just 58.4% of his pass attempts.
“Slovis closed out his career as a grad transfer at BYU, completing 153 of 266 attempts (57.5%) for 1,716 yards, 12 touchdowns, and six picks. His stark downward trajectory begs the question: Is he still a viable 2024 NFL Draft prospect?”
Slovis’ Prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft
Despite erupting onto the college football stage at USC, Slovis is seemingly on the fringe of the 2024 NFL Draft at this point.
Slovis did have a strong performance at the NFL Combine. Heartland College Sports reported:
“Slovis’ numbers were off the chart in his relative athletic score, checking in as the 25th-ranked quarterback out of the 916 tested from 1987-2024. During one of his combine drills, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah mentioned Slovis’ impressive performance, saying, ‘Slovis is having a solid day.’
“Slovis, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound quarterback from Arizona, put together a showstopping performance at the NFL Combine, including elite numbers in his composite speed grade and composite explosion grade with good numbers on the composite size grade….
“With scouts continuing to take notice, Slovis will likely be a Day Three pick in the 2024 NFL Draft but does have some upside that could see him off the board on Day Two.”
. @Kedonslovis was movin' 💨#NFLCombine on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/DMzzcgiTr3
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) March 2, 2024
A beauty from @BYUfootball QB Kedon Slovis
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/i98nybz7AN— NFL (@NFL) March 3, 2024
ESPN rates Slovis as the 230th best player in the upcoming draft, and the 12th best quarterback.
Per Desert News:
“Even after an impressive NFL Combine performance this past weekend, Kedon Slovis isn’t guaranteed to hear his name called during the NFL draft next month.
“However, one current NFL star may have paved the way for Slovis to be a late-round selection, according to analyst Justin Melo of the Draft Network….
“[Melo said:] ‘You’ve seen what San Francisco got out of Brock Purdy on day three, wow. This is totally worth the gamble. A high-IQ football player who can sling the pill, let’s take a chance on that guy.’
“Similar to Slovis, Purdy was a quarterback prospect with question marks surrounding him when he entered the draft two years ago. He was ultimately taken with the final pick by the San Francisco 49ers.”
Slovis’ NFL landing spot will be determined in less than a month.
Stay tuned to Gridiron Heroics for continued reporting on the 2024 NFL Draft and intriguing prospects like Kedon Slovis.
For more related sports news, focused primarily on the USC Trojans, SMU Mustangs, and Los Angeles Rams, please follow me at @vshjah_Victor.