NFL Draft
1/18/25
7 min read
Demetrius Knight Jr. 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For South Carolina Gamecocks LB
Height: 6020 (unofficial)
Weight: 245lbs (unofficial)
Year: Sixth-Year Senior
Pro Comparison: Devin Lloyd
Scouting Overview
South Carolina Gamecocks linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. is a powerful middle linebacker who provides an intimidating presence in the middle. This is a booming tackler who offers length and strength to plug gaps and attack downhill.
He’s an aggressive player who is unbothered by contact and does well in negotiating blocks, climbing to the second level, or, alternatively, taking blockers head-on in run triggers and as a pass rusher. Knight Jr. has significant open-field speed and burst with long strides to eat up turf, but his frame limits some of his transitions with his hips.
His feet can be heavy at times, getting out of read steps to hit ambitious zone drops or mirror in man-to-man coverage assignments or open to the sideline and scrape over the top. He is patient in the blocks, trusting his leverage and ability to filter traffic — sometimes to a fault.
2025 NFL Combine Results
TBD
Positives
- Offers ideal length for wrap-up tackles and striking power to prevent added yardage by ball carriers
- Showcases comfort taking on blocks head-on to stack, read, and shed before uncovering to the football
- Has natural “add on” instincts as a pressure player — will trigger late when backs attach and frequently disrupt the quarterback
Negatives
- Lateral agility can lack an initial pop and acceleration that could keep him overtop of some outside runs
- Hips appear to be a touch tight, preventing him from getting out of his stance and seamlessly dropping into deeper zones
- Short-area mirror skills can compromise his tackling posture
Background
Knight Jr. is from Locust Grove, GA, and played high school football for Strong Rock Christian HS. He is the cousin of long-time NFL DB DeAngelo Hall and was a star athlete in high school. Knight Jr. lettered in basketball, baseball, and football. He played quarterback in high school and was a four-year starter as a dual-threat weapon. Knight became the first D-1 football player to emerge from his program and was ranked as a top-30 dual-threat quarterback and a three-star recruit (247 Sports).
Knight Jr. committed to Georgia Tech and converted to linebacker as a member of their 2019 recruiting class. He played four seasons at Georgia Tech, including the COVID-19 non-eligibility season in 2020, before redshirting in 2022 after four contests following the dismissal of then-HC Geoff Collins.
Knight Jr. entered the transfer portal as a 3-star transfer (247 Sports) and landed with the Charlotte 49ers program — rolling in accolades as a starter. He became the sixth player in program history to be named First Team All-Conference and was second in the AAC in total tackles (96). With his final season of eligibility for 2024, Knight Jr. transferred again to South Carolina and once again assimilated into a starring role.
Knight Jr. was named a Rex Enright Team Captain for South Carolina, recognized as the Most Outstanding Senior with the program, and named a Joe Morrison MVP for the defense for appearing in 13 games with 10 starts.
This is a talent with impressive maturity. He has kids and recently recalled how he would run DoorDash orders after games while at Charlotte to help provide for his family. That level of dedication and perspective will undoubtedly endear him to decision-makers when considering who the right people are to add to a locker room.
Tale Of The Tape
Knight Jr. is a powerful linebacker with ideal mass to play in traffic between the tackles. His length and potent punch allow him to jolt defenders. This has been groomed thanks to an extensive and robust special teams resume from his time at Georgia Tech.
It was admittedly fun to turn on the tape from South Carolina’s bowl game vs. Illinois and watch Knight Jr. as a sixth-year senior primed for the draft still out there on the punt team running down to cover kicks after executing protection. His development as a linebacker was slow to come together at Georgia Tech, understandably so, given his role as a dual-threat quarterback in high school.
He’s filled out his frame wonderfully and has maintained plenty of his natural athleticism and straight-line speed, although he’s a hulking linebacker and, as such, he can be prone to some heavy feet or tightness in the hips getting out of his read steps to play out in space. He’s made impactful plays in the passing game as a zone defender, and as a pressure player, so there’s little reason to doubt whether or not Knight Jr. will have a starting role on the table at the next level.
Knight Jr. boasts straight-line speed and long strides that allow him to trigger and close quickly; he illustrated this prowess on a coverage sack against Jalen Milroe vs. Alabama. His acceleration with Milroe rolling left allowed him to quickly get on top of the quarterback and eliminate a throw-away opportunity after initially dropping into zone coverage.
Those “add-on” opportunities as a rusher are where he seems to really shine; Knight Jr. has a natural sense of when backs or tight ends commit to protection and a natural lane opens up. He is quick to attack these and put hits or pressure on the quarterback.
This is a punishing striker as a hitter. The tackle radius is significant thanks to his length, and Knight Jr. is confident with angles. There are times when passing challenges can be deconstructed or broken down by agile, quick football opponents — as Knight Jr.’s lateral redirection and foot speed are not among his hallmark traits.
He’s better in a phone booth or shooting a gap to take angles to the ball than he is as a head-up tackler in space. However, Knight Jr. has the aggressive demeanor to quickly cut down angles and does not often put himself in those compromised positions of being on an island. For this reason, he probably shouldn't be isolated in middle-of-the-field man coverage.
This is a patient player with his run reads. He can be patient to a fault, as his transitions can get out leveraged by speedy backs to the perimeter. But he’s confident in his ability to negotiate contact — rightfully so. Knight Jr. is capable of getting skinny through creases or, alternatively, putting his face and hands in the chest of a lineman and pressing him off to read the block and locate the football.
The special teams element here is a cherry on top, especially if he lands with a team that has a veteran linebacker on an outgoing contract or if he’s groomed for a starting role instead of being thrown into the first.
It affords him justifiable opportunities on a 53-man roster and dressing on game day. That said, you’d have a hard time convincing anyone that he didn’t play linebacker until college based on his apparent instincts, and he has a chance to develop into a key figure as a three-down starter in the NFL.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Knight Jr. projects best as a MIKE linebacker in a pressure-oriented system. His game is predicated on aggressiveness in many phases. Whether he is involved in triggering as a blitzer or dropping to landmarks in fire zones, Knight Jr. will be most impactful on passing downs with these concepts.
He can keep run defenses well-leveraged out of even fronts with his ability to plug between the tackles. Knight Jr. should be considered a developmental starter who, with the right opportunity, could see the field early in his career.
Grade: 76.50/100.00, Third Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
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