Two Gamecocks projected by ESPN as first round NFL Draft picks
South Carolina Gamecock football standouts Cam Smith and Jaheim Bell are projected by ESPN.com to go in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The NFL Draft order is not yet set, nor is the number of underclassmen that will ultimately forgo their senior seasons to enter their names.
On3.com on Thursday published a report with the fullest list of projected selections from ESPN, which has Smith going 14th overall to the Cincinnati Bengals and Bell being selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 30th overall position.
A fourth-year junior out of Westwood High in South Carolina, Smith has garnered numerous accolades heading into the 2022 football season, including first-team All-SEC honors from the league’s coaches.
Smith has started a total of 10 games for Gamecock football, accumulating 5 interceptions. Last season, he started 7 games and tallied 41 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 14 passes defensed. His performance as a redshirt sophomore earned him fourth team All-SEC honors from Phil Steele, a second-team All-SEC award from the Associated Press, and second-team All-SEC from PFF.
“The main thing that sticks out about Cam is just the way that he competes,” former Gamecock football first-rounder Jaycee Horn told GamecockCentral.com recently. “He has fun and talks a lot of trash and reminds me of myself. I’m just excited to see what he can do this fall.”
Bell, who hails from Valdosta High in Georgia, also garnered second-team All-SEC honors from PFF following a breakout junior season. As a sophomore in 2021, Bell set the school record for reception yards in a game by a tight end against Vanderbilt, later breaking his own record with a 5-catch, 159-yard performance and 2 touchdowns against North Carolina in the Dukes Mayo Bowl.
He was a preseason third-team All-SEC selection by the league’s coaches. For his career, Bell has racked up 31 catches for 526 yards and 5 touchdowns in 18 total games. Following the 2021 season, he was named to the Associated Press All-Bowl team and was an SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll recipient.
In the 2022 NFL Draft, Gamecock football saw three players selected by clubs. EDGE Kingsley Enagbare went in the fourth round to the Green Bay Packers, while running back Kevin Harris was selected by the New England Patriots in round 6. Tight end Nick Muse was drafted in the 7th round by the Minnesota Vikings.
