College Sports Network dropped a 3-round 2025 NFL Mock Draft on Monday and the top 100 picks were littered with South Carolina Gamecocks. Here, we’ll break down not just where those players landed, but how they fit with each team.
South Carolina Gamecocks NFL Draft Outlook: 4 Gamecocks Land in CSN’s Latest Mock
There’s a feeling around Columbia that the 2025 NFL draft class could be the largest in South Carolina’s history. Not only will a large number of Gamecocks hear their names called on draft weekend, but several are expected to go early.
Between Nick Emmanwori, T.J. Sanders, and Kyle Kennard, the Gamecocks have three players who have gotten first-round hype at some point in the draft cycle. For Sanders and Emmanwori, expect that hype to grow after the 2025 NFL Combine.
MORE: Ranking Every South Carolina Gamecocks Game in 2025
Our Max Dorsey wrote a 3-round 2025 NFL mock draft on Monday and he showed a lot of love to the Gamecocks, with four guys going in the top 55 picks.
Which Gamecocks were drafted in our latest mock, and how do they fit with the teams we have picking them?
Want to send the Gamecock prospects elsewhere? Give our Mock Draft Simulator a spin.
30) Nick Emmanwori, SAF, Buffalo Bills
This is a popular player-team pairing for fans and experts alike. The Bills need a safety and Emmanwori is one of the best. After the combine though, I’m not sure this will be as popular a pairing, as I’ll be surprised if Emmanwori is still falling this far.
The biggest appeal of Emmanwori is his freakish athleticism. Emmanwori stands a true 6’3″, 225 and could run in the 4.3s at the NFL Combine. That’s almost unheard of for a safety prospect and gives him a tremendous ceiling.
MORE: Scouting the Top 100 Prospects
While he’s always been a thumper in the back, unafraid of coming downhill to stop the run, he showcased elite ball skills in 2024. Once the Gamecocks got a pass rush, Emmanwori thrived in coverage; funny how that works. Emmanwori picked off four passes, returning two for touchdowns, but those are just the ones that counted. He also had two pick sixes against LSU that were overturned, one before the pass and one on the return.
With the Bills, Emmanwori’s range and toughness would be on full display. His versatility plays well in a Sean McDermott defense that is looking to take the next step. I like the landing spot, but I’m not sure it actually happens on Draft Day
43) T.J. Sanders, IDL, San Francisco 49ers
Sanders seems to be settling in as the projected second Gamecock off the board. Here, the undersized interior pass-rusher finds a home with the 49ers, a team that has drafted plenty of Gamecocks in the past.
Sanders might be undersized, but his explosiveness and power are off the charts. Just check out this rep from the Senior Bowl.
.@GamecockFB DT T.J. Sanders is known for his speed, but Good Lord did he convert that speed to power on this rep
WHEW pic.twitter.com/59VVZlicdg
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) January 28, 2025
Sanders is fresh, as he never played more than 480 snaps in a season. That’s not due to injury, but rather the depth and rotation of South Carolina’s defensive line. He’s a guy who could become a better pro than college player.
With special teams experience and the ability to play multiple positions along the defensive line, he’s an excellent fit in San Francisco, as those are two things the 49ers would likely ask him to do.
46) Demetrius Knight, LB, Atlanta Falcons
Ooh, intriguing. Demetrius Knight is a guy we as the college-centric scouts think could go far before consensus. Max obviously agrees.
Knight is an older prospect, but is a genuinely excellent locker room guy. He can FLY at the linebacker position and the sixth-year senior displayed excellent coverage skills at South Carolina.
KEEP READING: 2025 NFL Draft Ultimate Top 300 Big Board
He was a late breakout, but once he did, wow. He’s going to turn the heads of fans at the NFL Combine with his speed and explosive abilities and impress team scouts in an interview setting as he’s a guy they’re going to want on their team.
The Falcons defense needs more speed and Knight is a guy who can provide that while also maintaining above-average size for a modern linebacker.
55) Kyle Kennard, Edge, Green Bay Packers
While no one, including me, predicted Kyle Kennard would be the Bednarik Award winner, I was very early to the Kennard senior breakout. In fact, I predicted that he’d be South Carolina’s second-best player when I wrote about the team last April.
This wasn’t your typically fifth-year breakout. Kennard was fantastic as a pass-rusher at Georgia Tech, but the sack numbers just weren’t there until 2023. A long and lean edge rusher, Kennard packs a huge punch and shows a surprising amount of bend and pass-rushing moves.
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Just turn on his LSU tape. Kennard will be remembered in that game for two questionable penalties that called back pick sixes, but he made projected first-round tackle Will Campbell look terrible all game.
Kennard has high-level pass-rushing upside and the Packers would benefit from another proven edge rusher opposite of Rashan Gary.
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