Bad draft news..Taylor Mays elects to stay at SC and not enter the draft

[Mecca]

Good news for my college team not so much for the Chiefs...

http://www.dailynews.com/usc/ci_11439613

USC coach Pete Carroll said Monday that All-American safety Taylor Mays, cornerback Josh Pinkard and tailback C.J. Gable would return next season.

All three were eligible for the NFL draft and considered turning pro following the Rose Bowl.

Mays, who is considered a top-20 pick, said after the Rose Bowl he was leaning toward going pro and was considered the most likely USC underclassman to depart.

"They are all returning," Carroll said.

In a sign that he would return, Mays just moved into an apartment with USC teammate Will Harris last weekend. Sources said he enjoyed college life and wanted to spend another year at USC before experiencing the demands of the NFL.

Mays, a three-time All-American, could not be reached for comment.

"At the beginning of the season, I wanted to leave," Mays said after USC defeated Penn State in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. "Halfway through, it was 50-50. Now, if I do leave, it feels like a perfect way to go if I leave. That would be the way to do it."

That changed in the past 10 days, sources said, when Mays realized the benefits of staying in school.

"He doesn't have the pressure here that he would in the NFL and he likes being with his friends," a source said.

Pinkard said last month he would turn pro if he were invited to the NFL Combine but also expressed a desire to play safety at USC next season.

"That's one of the things we've talked about with Josh," Carroll said. "We'll discuss it further."

Pinkard also needs the NCAA to grant him a sixth year of eligibility. Carroll did not say if Pinkard received approval yet for his extra year. Pinkard was an honorable mention all-Pacific-10 Conference selection last season after missing two seasons with knee injuries.

With Mays and Pinkard returning, USC's defense suddenly does not look quite as weak. The Trojans expected to lose 10 starters but will return Mays and Pinkard along with starting cornerback Shareece Wright, who redshirted in 2008 following a neck injury.

Gable (Sylmar High) met with Carroll last week to discuss his future. He was angry after the Rose Bowl because he was removed from the game following a fumble. Gable gained 617 yards last season but was unhappy with the tailback-by-committee approach employed at USC.

The big question now for USC is the future of quarterback Mark Sanchez. He is expected to return for his senior season, but that decision could be altered if Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford announces he is turning pro before Thursday's deadline. NFL analysts project Sanchez could be the No. 2 quarterback taken in the draft behind Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford if Bradford stays in college.

Sanchez's family prefers he return to USC and like Mays, he enjoys the college atmosphere, so the odds are he will return for his senior season.

With Sanchez and Mays holding the joint press conference this looks like double bad news for the Chiefs...