Sam Baker throws his weight around. Image from Trojannyc.com

It has been said the Trojans that decided to stay on for their 2007 Senior seasons have improved their draft stock remarkably. It has been said their growth in maturity and skill will make the likes of Ellis, Rivers and Davis millions extra in contract deals. Then there’s the footnote: except for Sam Baker. Out of all the Trojans that have risen in the pre-draft rankings, offensive left tackle Sam Baker seems to be the only one that’s fallen. That dip is likely due to a hamstring injury that hampered progress his senior season and some slow 40-times clocked at USC’s Pro Day. But despite the drop, Stewart Mandel writes on SI.com, Baker is the most underrated o-lineman in the draft.

Let’s see here. Baker was the starting left tackle — most important position on the line — for the most dominant program in the country for four straight years…Based purely on Baker’s college track record, I assumed he would be one of, if not the top, tackle on the board; instead, I see he’s barely in the top 10. Baker reportedly did not test well at USC’s pro day, which means, of course, that those four years never happened.

Still, Baker’s likely to go late-first to early second round. None the less, a drop of millions has got to get to him, right? So does national championship winner and 3X first team, all-American Sam Baker regret coming back for his senior season?

In a word: no. When asked by Pro Football Weekly what he gained from his senior season, Baker answered:

I think maturity. I had never been injured, and learning that process and how that goes was key. That was a tough thing to take for me this year. I think if I would have been a rookie in the league and that happened, that would have been awful. That would have been really tough.

In the end Baker’s decision seems to have made him wiser. And more money will likely follow. Look at linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who was picked by the Seahawks in the second round in 2005. He recently signed a six-year 2008 contract extension worth $40 million. But what about Sam’s father’s dream? David Baker, the commissioner of the Arena Football league, had always wanted his son to play pro basketball.

“…he always thought I was going to be a basketball player,” Sam Baker said, “but I started growing out instead of up, so I had to find a new trade.”

And Trojan fans everywhere are forever thankful for Sam Baker’s adolescent pudge.