Another winning Saturday for USC

A school-record seven Trojans were selected in the first two rounds. That eclipsed the previous mark of five, set in 1968 and 2006.

USC Coach Pete Carroll envisioned this type of NFL payoff when he took over the football program before the 2001 season.

"It seems like years ago, when we first sat around with the first group of guys, what we hoped was to make the mark of having four or five guys in the first round," Carroll said. "That's what we had seen was possible when schools have a good run. We're right in the middle of that and we're proud of it."

On a day when no other school had more than two players taken in the first round, four Trojans heard their names called: defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis (seventh to New Orleans), linebacker Keith Rivers (ninth to Cincinnati), tackle Sam Baker (21st to Atlanta) and defensive end Lawrence Jackson (28th to Seattle).

Three more USC players were taken in the second round: guard Chilo Rachal (39th to San Francisco), tight end Fred Davis (48th to Washington) and cornerback Terrell Thomas, the final pick of the day (63rd to the New York Giants).

"The guys who came back for their senior year were rewarded for their hard work," Jackson said in a phone interview. "It's a great day for the school."

Baker, a four-year starter, benefited from a run on offensive tackles in the middle of the first round, when the Falcons traded up to get him before Houston could take him 26th. Atlanta, which cut left tackle Wayne Gandy this off-season, needs a blind-side blocker to protect its biggest rookie investment: Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, chosen third overall.

Rivers got a call from Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, the former Trojans star, even before he got one from Cincinnati Coach Marvin Lewis.

"[Palmer] told me I'm what they need," Rivers told reporters. "They've got the offense. They need a little help on defense and that's what I'm trying to do to get us into the playoffs."

The NFL, too, was focused on making upgrades. To speed along the draft process and improve the made-for-TV aspects of the event, the league trimmed the allowable time between first-round picks from 15 to 10 minutes, and had just two rounds Saturday instead of three. The final five rounds take place today.