Demetrius Knight Jr. (University of South Carolina photo)

University of South Carolina linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 17th pick in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft last Friday. He was 49th player taken overall.

Knight Jr., a 6-1 3/4, 236-pounder from Locust Grove, Ga., spent his final season with the Gamecocks after four years at Georgia Tech and one at Charlotte. He appeared in 61 games overall with 22 starts while collecting 229 career tackles. He earned first-team all-conference honors in 2023 in his lone season with the 49ers.

In 2024, Knight Jr. quickly established himself as a team leader and was named a Rex Enright Team Captain, the Most Outstanding Senior and one of three players named the Joe Morrison MVP for the defense. He also was recognized by the coaches as one of three players for the Strength and Conditioning Award and shared the Nutrition Award with Raheim Sanders.

In his lone season with the Garnet & Black, Knight Jr. was second on the team with 82 tackles including 57 solo stops. He logged 8.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks and added three forced fumbles and an interception. He reached double-figures in tackles on three occasions, logging a season-best 11 stops in back-to-back games against Oklahoma and Texas A&M and another 10 in the win at Clemson. Knight Jr. sealed the 17-14 win in the regular-season finale over Clemson with an interception on the Tigers’ final drive.

Knight Jr., who earned a degree in literature, media and communications from Georgia Tech, becomes the third Gamecock selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, joining Nick Emmanwori (Seattle) and T.J. Sanders (Buffalo). He is the first Gamecock linebacker taken in the draft since Ernest Jones in 2021 and the first Gamecock selected by Cincinnati since T.J. Johnson was taken by the Bengals in the seventh round of the 2013 draft.